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This session describes cutting-edge research on
children's executive functioning and regulation skills and the practices that
early educators can use to supper the development of here critical early
learning skills.
Presenters: Clancy Blair, New York University;
Deborah Leong, Tools of the Mind; Cybele Raver, New
York University Kyle Snow, NAEYC
1. School Readiness
a. Teachers overwhelming endorse taking turns, getting along with others, controlling emotions, following instructions, self-directions, etc.
b. Almost no teachers say that leathers and numbers of other tips of academic knowledge are essential
c. Overall teachers describe self-regulation as most important for school readiness.
2. Self-Regulation
a. Self-regulation is composed of multiple components
i. Cognitive and emotional aspects
b. Cognitive
i. Executive functions and to the control of attention
c. Emotional
i. Reactivity and regulation of the timing and intensity of emotional responses
d. Temperament combines cognitive and social-emotional aspects of self-regulation
e. Self-regulation enables specific skills, such as the ability to delay gratification but also to maintain attention
f. Xx
3. Executive Function
a. Executive function include working memory, inhibitory control, and the flexible shifting o the focus of attention.
b. Executive functions are important for planning and problem solving and for regulating emotions – both increasing as well as decreasing emotion levels
c. Executive functions are the tip of the self-regulation iceberg.
4. The architecture of self-regulation
a. Executive function working memory inhibitory control, attention flexibility
b. Attention: alerting, orienting
c. Emotional reactivity and regulation: positive and negative
d. Stress physiology: sympathetic, parasympathetic, HPA
e. Genes: neuromodulator receptor function
5. Self-regulation
a. Self-regulation f are associated with prefrontal cortex and as such dependent on levels of arousal in the limbic system associated with emotion and stress
b. When we experience stress, physiological systems produce chemicals that prepare the body and mind for response.
6. Yerkes-Dodson Complex learning, executive function: emotion, attention, stress physiology: aroused enough but not too much.
7. Data collection. Saliva to check levels of cortisol infants, ages.
8. Family Life Project
a. Longitudinal, population based sample (N=1292) followed from birth in predominantly non-urban, low-income communities. (poverty)
i. Data collection in home at 7, 15, 25, 3, 48 60 monthsÉ.
ii. Cortisol: saliva
iii. Parenting: observed structured free play coded from video
iv. Household chaos
v. Cumulative risk
b. Desire to have cortisol levels low when about to encounter a challenge. Daily decrease. In high-chaos homes, decrease is slight.
c. High quality parenting is associated with the cortisol response to emotional arousal at 7 and 15 months.
9. EF tasks for 30-60 month-olds
a. Circle arrow
b. Show picture, remove object in house. What was in the house? Fish in house. Blue circle and dog in house. Two houses, 2nd has red circle, bird
10. Leveraging change
a. Leveraging change to strengthen inference about the relation of the environment to an outcome
b. In the FLP data
11. Cortisol, risk, and house in child care
a. Low-income kids spending more hours in child care lowers cortisol. 7 months-36 months.
12. Self-regulation and education practice
a. Evaluation of the Tools of the Mind curriculum
b. Randomized control trials of Pre K and K versions Head Start
i. Looks good in poverty. Classroom organization, emotional and instructional support
13. Evaluating Montessori Education. Age 5, 12. Academic, social-emotional
14. Conclusions and implications
a. A psychobiological model of self-regulation indicates a focus on the function of behavior in context; adaptation
b. Prevention efforts can recognize the multilevel manifestation of risk (genes, physiology, emotion, cognition) in efforts to reduce or counteract. It.
c. Conditions of poverty have been shown to be stressful physiologically for children, but we know relatively little about stress physiology and genetics of self-regulation
d. Research and theory
Cybel Raver, Prof in Dept Applied Psych, NYU
1. What is self-regulation?
a. Regulation of emotion: research tradition of Òreactivity and regulationÓ
b. Regulation of impulses-inhibitory control
c. Working memory
i. Research tradition of Òexecutive functionÓ
ii. Example: Òhearts and flowersÓ Adele DiamondÕs lab
2. Hearts – CONGRUENT
a. Each time you see a HEART, press with the thumb or forefinger on the SAME side as the stimulus.
b. For example, if the heart appears on the left, press with your left hand.
c. Remember press on the same side as the heart.
3. Flowers INCONGRUENT (inhibit)
a. Press opposite thumb as flower.
4. Hearts and flowers
a. Half the time same, half opposite
b. Memory, attention, focus, inhibitory control
c. When little kid is experience inhibitory control is very challenging.
5. Prefrontal cortex
6. ÒTop-downÓ and Òbottom-upÓ process.
a. Cognitive process can serve as the executive, selecting a good behavioral option in the face of conflicting or emotionally upsetting demands
b. Emotions can also disrupt cognitive functioning – the frazzled rain works less well than the contemplative brain.
7. These skills matter for learning
a. Children who demonstrate better emotional control
i. Are liked better by teachers and peers
ii. Enjoy school more: fewer absences, greater engagement than more emotionally negative peers
iii. Kids who organize attention, use working memory and inhibitory control
iv. Demonstrate higher achievement
v. Even after controlling for IQ
8. The income gap in young childrenÕs school readiness: is the solution to ask teachers to Òteach more?Ó
a. Cumulative stressors (e.g., instability, family /community violence) -> childrenÕs higher risk of withdrawal, disruptive behavior and more difficulty with executive function.
b. Teachers may have a difficult time providing high quality instruction when children struggle with emotional and behavioral dysregulation
i. 16% of children in head start classrooms exhibit more.
9. Field experiments: why are they valuable.
a. Research in preschools:
b. Settings such as schools, and classrooms provide important opportunities for improving childrenÕs outcomes.
c. Is this the right developmental pathway?
d. But is this investment a wise one? Does the program really make a difference?
10. 18 preschools in Chicago outside city center. West and south side. Highest proportion of low-income kids. Rapidly gentrifying. Block by block survey, found Head Start. Either gave curriculum or just an assistant.
a. Hypothesis: Teacher training and coaching, stress reduction, emotional psychological support to kids.
b. Preschool self reg
c. By only intervening self-regulation and, increase: executive, attention, vocabulary, letter naming, early math skills.
d. Replicated by a colleague 50 sites, 20 more sites. 100 sites.
e. If curriculum is implemented with fidelity. Clear evidence that using.
11. Role of neighborhood violence. Re-analysis of CSRP data. Children varied in exposure to local violence. Homicides in household, same block. Big difference: 1000 feet. Lower attention and att. Extreme duress.
12. Incorporating school and neighborhood into models of self-regulating over time.
a. Justification for early intervention: early improvements in self-regulation will set low-income children on a positive developmental trajectory. But we know relatively little about stability of low-income childrenÕs EF, self reg from preschool to early elementary school
b. Extending models of self-regulation to include school contexts recent evidence that urban public schools are exceptionally stressful places for many children.
c.
Capitalized on the citywide Òstudent connection
survey administered to
ChicagoÕs middle school students- yields three factors, inc
13. What about teacher? Also under a great deal of stress facing challenges making ends meet on teacher salary
a. Violence in schools and neighborhoods
b. High level of need among students
c. Support for teachersÕ ability to regulate feelings of frustrations and distress. Compassion fatigue.
14. Focus on reducing stress among teachers
a. Support as key foundation for intervention where teachers expected to provide emotional support to children
b. Linked to teachersÕ implementation of intervention
c. Intervention substantially
i. Increased teachersÕ feeling so job control
15. How to support childrenÕs self-reg in multiple contexts
a. Across contexts – school: classroom and school ESL
b. School: teacher trainings in mindfulness
c. Child care and afterschool settings
16. Expanding support for childrenÕs self regulation in educational settings
a. School based approach
b. Classroom practice
c. Curricula (when integrated and with high ÒdoseÓ)
i. 4 Rs. Learn to use words to communicate feelings
ii. Learning
iii. l
d. SECURe Core Concepts
i. What regulatory domain, concepts, what are key classroom skills and behaviors. Theory that forms a basis. Evidence-based/ Research. Tools of the Mind. Can teachers use it within
Deborah Leong, Director, Tools of the Mind
Emotion regulation and executive function: classroom implications.
EF a component of school readiness.
1. Child has to
a. Control emotional states
i. Allow specific feelings
ii. Inhibit certain feelings
b. Manage levels of arousal
c. Handle frustration and anxiety (part of the learning process)
d. Read, understand and react to the emotional cues of others
e. Delay gratification
f. Increase motivation and
2. Difficulty with supporting emotion
3. Vygotsky, SR is a core mental process. Children grow from being ÒreactiveÓ to ÒintentionalÓ
4. Brain research tells us to teach self-regulation, mature from reactive to intentional
a. Reactive:
i. What you feel dominates your thoughts.
ii. You act first, think later.
b. Intentional
i. You act on purpose, You control your feelings– inhibit or allow
ii. Think first and act later. Emotions start to become thoughtful – guided by memory and anticipation.
iii. Thinking becomes emotional. Children take emotions into consideration when making decisions.
5. Study by ? Anticipation and Memory. Read Little Read Riding Hood. EKG.
a. First read (3- and 6-year-olds).
i. Physiological response when grandmother gets eaten
b. Second read.
i. 3-year-olds no change, no anticipation
ii. 6-year-old. Physiology, When the mother said DonÕtÕ go off the path. Anticipation. Means will be able to regulating.
6. By 8 kids can regulate.
7. SF needs to be nurtured like any other skills.
a. Use anticipation to help children about who gets to the go first.
i. The quietest will go first. (Some kids misinterpret who is quiet and if teacher likes one kid more than another).
ii. Today Aki is going first, then Sonia and then you; two before you. Predictability.
8. Friendships in preschool and kindergarten
a. Based on proximity, you play with the child next to you.
i. Avoid having children always sit with the same person (by choice or by assignment)
ii. Have children interact with different kids
9. Introduce the cultural tools used for emotional regulation
a. Rock, paper scissors.
10. Mature make-believe play
a. Explore feelings in a controlled situation. In pretend, they can vary duration, intensity
b. Explore different consequences
c. Explore from more than one personÕs perspective
d. VIDEO: Kids planning to play a scene about kids being naughty
11. Develop emotional imagination. Read stories with emotions in them and have children dramatize the story
a. Expands the repertoire f emotions being felt
b. Expands the vocabulary to discuss it.
c. Helps chi
d. VIDEO: Reading Magic Tree house ÒA Secret PassageÓ to children. How do the children feel? Scared? Show me how you feel scared. Dramatize with you, dramatize without you.
e. A bad thing about TV, itÕs like something that goes by. Young kids may not have developed it.
12. Emotion regulation in the classroom
a. Early childhood is a time during which emotions become thoughtful
b. Classroom practices can strengthen
c. Make-believe
d. Literature
Q&A