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Infants' responses to frustrating situations: continuity and change in reactivity and regulation
J M Braungart-Rieker1, C A Stifter
1Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
Insights
Infant reactivity and regulation behaviors show continuity and change from 5 to 10 months. While reactivity and regulation were linked at 5 months, they became independent by 10 months, with early reactivity predicting later regulation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Infant behavior studies
Background:
- Understanding infant emotional development is crucial.
- Early reactivity and regulation behaviors form foundational aspects of socio-emotional development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the continuity, stability, and change in infant reactivity and regulation behaviors.
- To investigate the structural organization and interrelations of these behaviors from 5 to 10 months of age.
Main Methods:
- Observed healthy infants (N=87 at 5 months, N=82 at 10 months) in laboratory settings eliciting frustration.
- Assessed behaviors including cry intensity, cry latency (reactivity), and durations of orienting, avoidant, and communicative behaviors (regulation).
- Employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis and model-fitting to analyze structural continuity and stability.
Main Results:
- Several infant behaviors significantly changed in level between 5 and 10 months.
- Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated a consistent 2-factor structure (Reactivity and Regulation) at both ages.
- The negative correlation between reactivity and regulation at 5 months diminished by 10 months, suggesting increasing independence.
Conclusions:
- Infant reactivity and regulation demonstrate both continuity and developmental discontinuity.
- The relationship between reactivity and regulation evolves, becoming less interdependent over the first year.
- Early infant reactivity can predict later regulation, highlighting cross-dimensional stability.
Abstract:
We examined continuity, stability, and change in behaviors reflecting infant reactivity and regulation. Healthy infants were observed in laboratory situations designed to elicit frustration when they were 5 (N = 87) and 10 months of age (N = 82). Behaviors indicative of reactivity included objective ratings of average intensity cry, peak intensity cry, and latency to cry. In addition, durations of orienting, avoidant, and nonnegative communicative behaviors were assessed as measures of regulation at each age. Results showed that several behaviors changed in level over time. In addition, Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed both structural continuity and discontinuity: Behaviors were organized into 2 similar factors at 5 and 10 months (Reactivity and Regulation), but the relation between reactivity and regulation became increasingly independent over time, such that reactivity and regulation were negatively correlated at 5 months but not at 10 months. Finally, model-fitting revealed cross-dimension but not within-dimension stability (5-month reactivity predicted 10-month regulation).