Browsing by Author "Müller, Ulrich"

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    The anger-distress model of temper tantrums: associations with emotional reactivity and emotional competence.
    (Wiley, 2010-04-01) Giesbrecht, Gerald; Miller, Michael, R.; Müller, Ulrich
    The goals of this investigation were (a) to assess the structural validity of the anger-distress model of temper tantrums, and (b) to examine the associations among temper tantrums, emotional reactivity and emotional competence in a community sample of preschoolers. A parent-report measure, the Temper Tantrum Grid, was used to measure the frequency of common tantrum behaviours. Laboratory and parent report measures of emotional reactivity and emotional competence were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposal that anger and distress are separate but overlapping tantrum processes. Correlation analyses showed that temper tantrum anger and distress were related to emotional reactivity and emotional competence. There was no evidence to support the notion that emotional competence moderated the effect of emotional reactivity on temper tantrums. In contrast, emotional competence was a significant mediator of the association between emotional reactivity and temper tantrums. Overall, the results support the anger-distress model of temper tantrums. The findings suggest that children’s temper tantrums are systematically related to the overall organization of emotion and behaviour in preschool children.
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    The anger–distress model of temper tantrums: associations with emotional reactivity and emotional competence
    (Infant and Child Development, 2010) Giesbrecht, Gerald; Miller, Michael; Müller, Ulrich
    The goals of this investigation were (a) to assess the structural validity of the anger-distress model of temper tantrums, and (b) to examine the associations among temper tantrums, emotional reactivity and emotional competence in a community sample of preschoolers. A parent-report measure, the Temper Tantrum Grid, was used to measure the frequency of common tantrum behaviours. Laboratory and parent report measures of emotional reactivity and emotional competence were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposal that anger and distress are separate but overlapping tantrum processes. Correlation analyses showed that temper tantrum anger and distress were related to emotional reactivity and emotional competence. There was no evidence to support the notion that emotional competence moderated the effect of emotional reactivity on temper tantrums. In contrast, emotional competence was a significant mediator of the association between emotional reactivity and temper tantrums. Overall, the results support the anger-distress model of temper tantrums. The findings suggest that children’s temper tantrums are systematically related to the overall organization of emotion and behaviour in preschool children.
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    Cognitive and emotional aspects of self-regulation in preschoolers
    (Cognitive Development, 2007) Liebermann, Dana; Giesbrecht, Gerald; Müller, Ulrich
    The goal of the present study was to examine the contribution of executive function (EF) and social cognition to individual differences in emotion regulation (ER) in preschool children. Sixty 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children were administered a battery of EF tasks, two theory of mind tasks, a measure of verbal ability, and an ER task. In addition, parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning—Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). Performance on the theory of mind tasks as well as parental ratings of executive function was not related to performance on the ER task. However, a component of EF (i.e., inhibition) approached significance with children’s displays of positive behaviors during the ER task. Verbal ability was related to the regulation of positive but not negative emotions. Parental ratings of shifting accounted for a significant amount of variance in parental ratings of ER, even after controlling for verbal ability. The findings are discussed in the context of different conceptualizations of the developmental relation between ER and EF.
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    The contribution of executive function and social understanding to preschoolers’ letter and math skills
    (Cognitive Development, 2013) Miller, Michael; Müller, Ulrich; Giesbrecht, Gerald; Carpendale, Jeremy; Kerns, Kimberly
    The influence of executive function and social understanding on letter and math skills was examined in 129 3–5-year-olds. Tasks were administered to measure working memory, inhibition, social understanding, letter and math skills, and vocabulary. Using latent variable analyses, multiple models were compared in order to examine the influence of executive function and social understanding on participants’ emerging academic skills. In the best-fitting model, working memory contributed to letter and math skills, over and above inhibition, social understanding, age, and vocabulary. Inhibition and social understanding did not uniquely contribute to letter and math skills, but significant relations were found among working memory, inhibition, and social understanding. Findings are discussed with respect to improving ways to examine the complex relations among preschoolers’ executive function, social understanding, and school readiness skills.
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    A Latent Variable Approach to Determining the Structure of Executive Function in Preschool Children
    (Journal of Cognition and Development, 2012) Miller, Michael; Giesbrecht, Gerald; Müller, Ulrich; McInerney, Robert; Kerns, Kimberly
    The composition of executive function (EF) in preschool children was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A sample of 129 children between 3 and 5 years of age completed a battery of EF tasks. Using performance indicators of working memory and inhibition similar to previous CFA studies with preschoolers, we replicated a unitary EF factor structure. Next, additional performance indicators were included to distinctly measure working memory, set shifting, and inhibition factors. A two-factor model consisting of working memory and inhibition fit the data better than both a single-factor model and a three-factor model. Findings suggest that the structure of EF in preschoolers that emerges from CFA is influenced by task and performance indicator selection.
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    Methodological and Epistemological Issues in the Interpretation of Infant Cognitive Development
    (Child Development, 2008) Müller, Ulrich; Giesbrecht, Gerald
    This commentary on J. Kagan (2008) addresses 2 issues. The first concerns the importance of studying developmental sequences and processes of change. The second concerns epistemological differences between contemporary neonativist approaches and classical theories of development. The commentary argues that classical theories of infant cognition and contemporary neonativist theories fundamentally differ in terms of how they conceptualize the workings of the mind. These differences affect the meaning of terms such as representation and reasoning. Also discussed are implications of epistemological differences for developmental explanations. The commentary concludes that epistemological differences must be articulated more fully in order to improve understanding of different theories and in order to evaluate the relative merits and shortcomings of those theories.