Handbook of Self-Regulatory Processes in Development : New Directions and International Perspectives

The development of self- and emotional regulatory processes helps children to regulate their behavior based on their cultural context and to develop positive social relationships. This handbook brings together heretofore disparate literatures on self- and emotional regulation, brain and physiological processes, mastery motivation, and atypical development to highlight how mastery motivation is related to self-regulation and to clarify the relation between these various processes. Authors from a variety of countries and backgrounds provide an integrated, up-to-date review of the research and the key theoretical models to demonstrate how these processes relate to cultural and individual differences in both typical and atypical development. The renowned editors, all experts in a particular domain of self-regulation, provide section opening chapters that review the literature, provide a perspective that explains the findings, and suggest directions for future research. Although the focus is on quantitative studies, some qualitative findings and research using brain imaging methodologies are included.

There are four sections. Section one introduces the development of self- and emotional regulation. This section reviews how self-regulation adapts based on personal and culturally-based goals and how individual differences predispose some to behavior disorders. Socialization influences are examined including a look at when typical regulation processes go awry. Section 2 examines physiological and brain processes as they relate to the development of typical and atypical processes, along with neurocognitive development of performance monitoring and how these processes change over time, cortical activation differences, and behavioral and electrocortical measures of attentional bias. Section 3 reviews the development of self-regulation and mastery motivation including a review of the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ), cross-national comparisons, and what the DMQ can tell us about self-regulation. The section concludes with a look at the development of self-regulation and mastery motivation in individuals with a developmental disability. Section 4 examines self-regulation in atypical development and evidence-based treatment approaches in children with ADHD, autism, and Down syndrome.

This book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in psychology, neuroscience, human development, and education interested in the development of self and emotional regulatory processes.

Karen Caplovitz Barrett, Ph.D., is Professor and Assistant Department Head of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Her research takes a functionalist approach to studying emotion processes and their development, with a particular focus on emotion regulation and "social emotions" (such as guilt and shame) during early development, and on cultural and other socialization influences on these processes. Current research projects are in three major areas: (1) the effect of early intervention on early socioemotional competence and school readiness, and on prevention of emotion regulation difficulties; (2) how emotion regulatory and self-regulatory processes develop during early childhood, in typical, atypical, and at-risk populations; and (3) how social emotions develop during early childhood, and how socialization and cultural beliefs impact this development.

Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Human Development at the University of Maryland College Park. Professor Fox has completed research on the biological bases of social and emotional behavior developing methods for assessing brain activity in infants and young children during tasks designed to elicit a range of emotions. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health where he was awarded a MERIT award for excellence of his research program examining social and emotional development of young children. Dr. Fox was awarded the Distinguished Scientific Investigator Award from the National Association for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and was appointed a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2008.

George A. Morgan, Ph.D., is Emeritus Professor of Education and Human Development at Colorado State University. He received his Ph.D. in child development and psychology from Cornell University in 1965. Over the past 35 years, he has conducted a program of research on children's motivation to master challenging tasks. He has advised many Ph.D. students in education and related fields and also has written text books on SPSS and research methods.

Deborah J. Fidler, Ph.D., is Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Her research expertise is in the area of early atypical development, with a particular focus on the emerging behavioral phenotype in Down syndrome. She has published over 30 articles on cognition and behavioral development in children with various neurogenetic disorders, with the goal of identifying potential targets for early intervention and improving educational practice in these populations.

Lisa A. Daunhauer, Sc.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University. Her research has focused on bridging the divide between research in behavioral phenotypes and cutting-edge practice in intervention science, particularly occupational therapy. Her current projects are designed to examine executive functioning and its relationship to participation in everyday life and academic achievement in children with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.