The Contribution of Cognitive Self-Regulation to Social Competence: A Latent Change Score Analysis

David Eric Ferrier

Advisor: Susanne A Denham, PhD, Department of Psychology

Committee Members: Timothy Kurby, Ellen Rowe

David J. King Hall, #1024
April 05, 2016, 03:00 PM to 12:00 PM

Abstract:

Given the importance of social competence in early childhood (Jones & Bouffard, 2012), there are self-regulatory components that can support or undermine positive trajectories for these skills (Rose-Krasnor & Denham, 2008). Moreover, acquiring social competencies and self-regulatory behavior often emerges from the transactions children have with peers and teachers, and optimal development of such skills and abilities can be impeded when children do not experience such positive interaction. In turn, research has supported that a weak self-regulatory foundation can contribute to an increased risk of psychopathology and considerable behavioral problems (i.e., socially incompetent behavior).  Because of this evidence, efforts to further understand the association between self-regulation and socially competent behaviors should be at the forefront of developmental research. The current proposal looks at a latent construct of cognitive self-regulation and the dynamic associations between it and measures of socially competent behavior (i.e., self-control & interpersonal skills) to innovatively investigate the leading/lagging relation between these developmentally intertwined skill sets.