Grenell Amanda, Prager Emily O, Schaefer Catherine, Kross Ethan, Duckworth Angela L, Carlson Stephanie M
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Br J Dev Psychol. 2019 Mar;37(1):84-100. doi: 10.1111/bjdp.12259. Epub 2018 Jul 15.
Self-distancing has been shown to improve children's self-regulation in a variety of tasks. However, it is unknown whether this strategy is more effective for some children than others. This study investigated self-distancing in relation to individual differences in executive function (EF) and effortful control (EC). Typically developing 4- (n = 72) and 6-year-olds (n = 67) were randomly assigned to think about the self from one of four perspectives: self-immersed, control, third-person, or competent media character. Children participated in a frustrating task for up to 10 min and overt expressions of frustration were coded. Conceptually replicating prior research with adults, younger children, and children with lower EF and lower EC (independent of age) benefitted the most from self-distancing. This suggests self-distancing is especially effective during a frustrating task for children with less developed self-control, adding to a growing body of research showing self-distancing is especially effective for vulnerable individuals. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Using third-person speech and pretending to be a media character improve children's self-regulation. Age and theory of mind skills are related to the effectiveness of self-distancing. What does this study add? Self-distancing can help children regulate their emotions during an emotionally charged task. Individual differences in executive function and effortful control are related to the efficacy of self-distancing.
自我疏离已被证明能在各种任务中提高儿童的自我调节能力。然而，尚不清楚这种策略对某些儿童是否比其他儿童更有效。本研究调查了与执行功能（EF）和努力控制（EC）个体差异相关的自我疏离。将发育正常的4岁儿童（n = 72）和6岁儿童（n = 67）随机分配为从四个视角之一来思考自我：自我沉浸、控制、第三人称或有能力的媒体角色。儿童参与一项长达10分钟的令人沮丧的任务，并对沮丧的明显表现进行编码。从概念上重复了之前针对成年人、年幼儿童以及EF和EC较低（与年龄无关）的儿童的研究，结果表明这些儿童从自我疏离中受益最大。这表明在令人沮丧的任务中，自我疏离对自我控制能力较差的儿童尤其有效，这也进一步丰富了越来越多的研究成果，即自我疏离对弱势群体尤其有效。贡献声明关于这个主题已知的信息有哪些？使用第三人称言语和假装成媒体角色可提高儿童的自我调节能力。年龄和心理理论技能与自我疏离的有效性相关。本研究增加了什么内容？自我疏离可以帮助儿童在充满情绪的任务中调节情绪。执行功能和努力控制的个体差异与自我疏离的功效相关。
