Digital use intensity attenuates the positive EF–reappraisal association, more pronouncedly on the EF→ER pathway than the reverse¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2 · q3 · i1–i2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Digital use intensity significantly moderated the EF-to-reappraisal association (β = −0.14, p = .005); simple slopes were β = 0.56 at low use, β = 0.42 at average, and β = 0.28 at high use. → Shi Guochun 2026 q3 i? The reverse-pathway moderation (Reappraisal × Digital use → EF) was smaller and only marginally significant (β = −0.09, p = .050), and the suppression-side moderation was non-significant (β = 0.06, p = .197). → Shi Guochun 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Shi Guochun 2026¶

Shi Guochun, Shi Zimo, Wang Qianqian. (2026). Cross-sectional bidirectional associations between executive function and emotion regulation in adolescents: the moderating role of digital engagement intensity. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05038-8

q3 · i2 · associational · r?

SEM with symmetric interaction terms in the 368-adolescent sample; the EF × Digital use interaction was β = −0.14, p = .005. Simple slope analysis showed the EF–reappraisal slope "attenuated—though still significant—at high levels (β = 0.28, p = .003)".

"the relationship between EF and cognitive reappraisal was strong at low digital use levels (β = 0.56, p < .001), moderate at average levels (β = 0.42, p < .001), but attenuated—though still significant—at high levels (β = 0.28, p = .003)"

Shi Guochun 2026 (2)¶

Shi Guochun, Shi Zimo, Wang Qianqian. (2026). Cross-sectional bidirectional associations between executive function and emotion regulation in adolescents: the moderating role of digital engagement intensity. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05038-8

q3 · i1 · associational · r2

Same symmetric SEM. The reverse-pathway interaction was only marginally significant and the suppression-side term non-significant, so the article reports the attenuation as "somewhat more pronounced for the EF → reappraisal association than for the reverse pathway".

"The corresponding moderation on the reverse pathway (Reappraisal × Digital use → EF) reached a smaller magnitude and only marginal significance (β = −0.09, p = .050), and the parallel suppression × digital use → EF term was not significant (β = 0.06, p = .197)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Executive Function — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Exploratory analyses suggest the digital moderation of the EF–reappraisal link is concentrated in social media and short-form video, not gaming or educational use — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• High-intensity digital users show lower EF and reappraisal than moderate and low users, suggesting a threshold rather than linear dose-response pattern — related
• Emotion regulation is concurrently associated with executive performance in the reverse direction, with habitual suppression linked to diminished EF — related
• The reciprocal EF–ER model fits only marginally better than a forward-only model, so model preference rests on theory as much as fit — related
• Stronger executive function is concurrently associated with greater cognitive reappraisal and less expressive suppression in adolescents — related