When recalling their own experiences, 5- and 6-year-olds use metacognitive strategies more to alleviate sadness and fear than anger¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r3 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2010 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i2 In Study 2, 69% of children reported using at least one metacognitive strategy, and an emotion × strategy interaction showed metacognitive strategies were used more for sadness and fear than for anger. → Davis 2010

Evidence¶

Davis 2010¶

Davis, E. L., Levine, L. J., Lench, H. C., & Quas, J. A. (2010). Metacognitive Emotion Regulation: Children’s Awareness that Changing Thoughts and Goals Can Alleviate Negative Emotions. Emotion, 10(4), 498–510. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018428

q3 · i2 · qualitative · r3

Mixed ANOVA on strategy frequencies from 92 children interviewed about autobiographical sad, angry, and scary events. The omnibus emotion × strategy interaction was significant, F(12, 1080) = 4.75, p < .001, η2p = .05. Post hoc tests showed metacognitive strategies more often for sadness than anger, t(91) = 3.25, p < .01, and fear than anger, t(91) = 3.68, p < .001.

"The results showed significant main effects of emotion regulation strategy, F(6, 540) = 17.26, p < .001, η2p = .16, and emotion, F(2, 180) = 4.85, p < .01, η2p = .05, and an emotion by strategy interaction, F(12, 1080) = 4.75, p < .001, η2p = .05."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Children's emotion-specific strategy use emerges for autobiographical events but not hypothetical stories, suggesting personal experience supports flexible regulation — related
• Children tailor metacognitive strategy type to emotion: changing goals most for sadness, changing thoughts most for fear — related
• A majority of 5- and 6-year-olds can describe metacognitive emotion regulation strategies when asked about familiar hypothetical situations with multiple prompts — related
• In hypothetical scenarios, 5- and 6-year-olds most often suggest goal reinstatement and goal substitution, and their strategies do not differ for sadness versus anger — related
• Emotion Labeling Improves Regulation — related