Parasympathetic nervous system functioning as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is widely used as a measure of physiological regulation. We examined developmental patterns of children's resting RSA and RSA reactivity from 2 to 15 years of age, a period of time that is marked by considerable advances in children's regulatory abilities.…

A transactional model examining the longitudinal association between vagal regulation (as indexed by vagal withdrawal) and maternal sensitivity from age 2.5 to age 5.5 was assessed. The sample included 356 children (171 male, 185 female) and their mothers who participated in a laboratory visit at age 2.5, 4.5, and 5.5. Cardiac vagal tone was…

This study examined maternal parenting stress in a sample of 430 boys and girls including those at risk for externalizing behavior problems. Children and their mothers were assessed when the children were ages 2, 4, and 5. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to examine stability of parenting stress across early childhood and to examine…

This study examined whether preschoolers' emotion regulation, problem behavior, and kindergarten behavioral self-regulation in the classroom predicted kindergarten achievement scores. Findings indicated that children's emotion regulation and behavioral self-regulation in the classroom were related to all achievement measures. Relation between…

Studied social interaction among a sample of children at risk for the development of later and more severe behavioral-control difficulties. Observed 121 children in pairs. Found that children in the high-risk group displayed significantly and consistently more aggressive behavior than did the children in the low-risk group. (JS)