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Behavioral and physiological correlates of toddler anger reactivity
366
BEHAVIORAL
AND PHYSIOLOGICAL
CORRELATES
OF TODDLER ANGER REACTIVITY
Susan D. Calkins and Mary C. Johnson Department of Psychology 296 Eberhart Building University of North Carolina - Greensboro Greensboro, NC 274 12 Recent research in the area of infant temperament suggests that personality and social development may be influenced by both early temperamental reactivity and strategies for regulation of that reactivity (Fox & Calkins, 1993; Rubin, Coplan, Fox & Calkins, 1995). The aims of the present investigation were to (1) explore relations among physiological and behavioral indices of anger reactivity and regulation and (2) examine relations between anger reactivity/regulation and maternal interactive style. Seventy-three mothers and their 1%month-old toddlers (42 females, 3 1 males) were assessed in a one-hour series of laboratory procedures designed to assess (1) physiological reactivity, (2) anger reactivity, (3) anger regulation strategies, and (4) maternal interactive style. Physiological reactivity was assessed by obtaining five minutes of the child’s resting heart rate and computing measures of vagal tone and heart period. Anger reactivity was assessed across four separate episodes designed to elicit the intensity, frequency, duration and latency of the distress response to frustrating events. Anger regulation was assessed by examining the child’s strategies (aggression, distraction, mother-orientation) when confronted by the four frustration tasks. And, maternal interactive style was assessed by examining mother’s strategies for child behavior management (negative controlling, positive guidance, preemptive interference) during four mother-child tasks (compliance, teaching, pretend play and free play). Analysis of the data indicated that there were individual differences in the tendency to display anger reactivity and that these differences were related to cardiac activity, anger regulation strategies, and maternal interactive style. The child’s tendency to display anger in one context was modestly, but significantly, correlated with the tendency to display anger in other contexts (p’s ranged from .05 to .lO in the correlation matrix). A small subsample (n=12) was found to be highly reactivity to all or most of the anger-inducing stimuli, while another subsample (n=20) was not provoked to display anger reactivity during any of the tasks. The reactive children tended to use aggressive, non-constructive strategies of coping with frustration (p =.Ol). There was an interaction of the tendency to be reactive and use aggressive strategies that was related to cardiac activity: toddlers who were both easily angered and aggressive had lower heart rate and higher vagal tone (p = .04 for both interactions). Analysis of the maternal data indicated that toddlers whose mothers tended to do things for them, rather than allowing them to do things for themselves (preemptive interference) were likely to be reactive to the anger-provoking events (p = .OOl). These data indicate that a dimension of early personality, that of anger reactivity, may be influenced by (1) the child’s own physiological predisposition (2) maternal interactive style and (3) strategies the child has developed for managing affective reactivity. The implications of these findings are that there may be multiple underlying causes for young children’s difficulties with emotion management, and multiple pathways to the development of behavior problems involving aggression and anger.
BEHAVIORAL
AND PHYSIOLOGICAL
CORRELATES
OF TODDLER ANGER REACTIVITY
Susan D. Calkins and Mary C. Johnson Department of Psychology 296 Eberhart Building University of North Carolina - Greensboro Greensboro, NC 274 12 Recent research in the area of infant temperament suggests that personality and social development may be influenced by both early temperamental reactivity and strategies for regulation of that reactivity (Fox & Calkins, 1993; Rubin, Coplan, Fox & Calkins, 1995). The aims of the present investigation were to (1) explore relations among physiological and behavioral indices of anger reactivity and regulation and (2) examine relations between anger reactivity/regulation and maternal interactive style. Seventy-three mothers and their 1%month-old toddlers (42 females, 3 1 males) were assessed in a one-hour series of laboratory procedures designed to assess (1) physiological reactivity, (2) anger reactivity, (3) anger regulation strategies, and (4) maternal interactive style. Physiological reactivity was assessed by obtaining five minutes of the child’s resting heart rate and computing measures of vagal tone and heart period. Anger reactivity was assessed across four separate episodes designed to elicit the intensity, frequency, duration and latency of the distress response to frustrating events. Anger regulation was assessed by examining the child’s strategies (aggression, distraction, mother-orientation) when confronted by the four frustration tasks. And, maternal interactive style was assessed by examining mother’s strategies for child behavior management (negative controlling, positive guidance, preemptive interference) during four mother-child tasks (compliance, teaching, pretend play and free play). Analysis of the data indicated that there were individual differences in the tendency to display anger reactivity and that these differences were related to cardiac activity, anger regulation strategies, and maternal interactive style. The child’s tendency to display anger in one context was modestly, but significantly, correlated with the tendency to display anger in other contexts (p’s ranged from .05 to .lO in the correlation matrix). A small subsample (n=12) was found to be highly reactivity to all or most of the anger-inducing stimuli, while another subsample (n=20) was not provoked to display anger reactivity during any of the tasks. The reactive children tended to use aggressive, non-constructive strategies of coping with frustration (p =.Ol). There was an interaction of the tendency to be reactive and use aggressive strategies that was related to cardiac activity: toddlers who were both easily angered and aggressive had lower heart rate and higher vagal tone (p = .04 for both interactions). Analysis of the maternal data indicated that toddlers whose mothers tended to do things for them, rather than allowing them to do things for themselves (preemptive interference) were likely to be reactive to the anger-provoking events (p = .OOl). These data indicate that a dimension of early personality, that of anger reactivity, may be influenced by (1) the child’s own physiological predisposition (2) maternal interactive style and (3) strategies the child has developed for managing affective reactivity. The implications of these findings are that there may be multiple underlying causes for young children’s difficulties with emotion management, and multiple pathways to the development of behavior problems involving aggression and anger.