Department of Psychology, University of California , Riverside , CA , USA.
Cogn Emot. 2019 Dec;33(8):1726-1735. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1598937. Epub 2019 Mar 30.
Distraction can reduce adults' memory for emotion-eliciting information, whereas reappraisal can preserve or enhance it. Yet, when given instructions to use specific emotion regulation (ER) strategies, adults report using other strategies too. The consequences of non-instructed strategy use within ER paradigms are rarely examined. We investigated how both and non-instructed but strategies related to memory for emotional information in childhood. Older ( = 69; 8- to 10-year-olds; 24 girls) and younger ( = 65; 5- to 7-year-olds; 35 girls) children received instructions to use cognitive distraction, reappraisal, or do nothing (control) before and after viewing a negative emotional film clip. Children were later interviewed about what they remembered about the film, and reported the ER strategies they used during it. Memory did not vary across ER strategy conditions, and strategies did not relate to memory differently for older and younger children. Consistent with adult work, cognitive distraction related to poorer memory. Different reappraisal types were reported, but only situation-focused reappraisal was linked to better memory. In sum, children's cognitive distraction and reappraisal strategies related to memory for emotional information differently. Thus, ER strategies divergently relate to what children remember about their emotional experiences.
分心可以减少成年人对引发情绪信息的记忆，而重新评估则可以保留或增强这种记忆。然而，当被要求使用特定的情绪调节（ER）策略时，成年人也会报告使用其他策略。在 ER 范式中，非指令性策略的使用后果很少被研究。我们研究了在儿童时期， 和非指令性但 的策略如何与情绪信息的记忆有关。年长组（ = 69；8-10 岁；24 名女孩）和年幼组（ = 65；5-7 岁；35 名女孩）在观看负面情绪电影片段前后，分别接受认知分心、重新评估或不做任何事情（控制）的指令。之后，孩子们被问到他们对电影的记忆，并报告了他们在观看电影时使用的 ER 策略。在不同的 ER 策略条件下，记忆没有差异，而且对于年长和年幼的孩子来说， 策略与记忆的关系也没有不同。与成人的研究结果一致，认知分心与较差的记忆有关。报告了不同类型的重新评估，但只有情境聚焦的重新评估与更好的记忆有关。总之，儿童的认知分心和重新评估策略与情绪信息的记忆有关。因此，ER 策略与儿童对其情绪体验的记忆有不同的关系。
