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LOOKING BENEATH THE SURFACEOUR ENVIRONMENTS, OUR BRAINS, AND CHILDREN’S SELF-REGULATION
SHANNON M. WARREN, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, NORTON SCHOOL
“BE A TOURIST IN OTHER PERSPECTIVES.”
~Questlove, 2018
PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
• Discuss how looking beneath the surface might shift our understanding of
children’s development.
• Compare and contrast young children’s environments and self-regulation
strategies.
• Consider implications for working with and understanding young children
and families.
Children’s experiences
Children’s outcomes
Children’s environments
Biology
Children’s development
Brain architecture
Human History
SURFACE VIEW
BENEATH THE
SURFACE
SELF-REGULATION
• Ability to controls one’s
thoughts, actions, and
emotions.
pbs.org
SELF-REGULATION
• Effortful control
• Executive functions
• Emotion Regulation
• Delay of gratification
• Inhibitory control
• Self-control…
naeyc.org
THE MARSHMALLOW EXPERIMENT
Research on delay of
gratification (self-
regulation) by Dr. Walter
Mischel
SELF-REGULATION
naturalstart.org
Higher Lower
• Better math &
language
• Social
withdrawal
• Higher GPA • Aggression
• Moral
development
• Impulsivity
• Social skills
• Overall school
competence
SELF-REGULATION
nia.nih.gov
Impacts our social
interactions.
Depends on our
anticipation of the future.
SELF-REGULATION
HIGH
IMPULSIVE
LOW
CONTROL
FOCUS ON
FUTURE
REWARDS
FOCUS ON
TODAY’S
REWARDS
CHILDREN’S ADVERSE EARLY EXPERIENCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Connectingparadigms.org
Iowaaeyc.org
Pediatrics.aappublications.org
Developingchild.Harvard.org
CHILDREN’S ADVERSE EARLY EXPERIENCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Positive, supportive
early experiences
Optimal brain
development
High Self-
Regulation
Good
Outcomes
Poor, unsupportive
early experiences
Suboptimal brain
development
Low Self-
Regulation
Poor
Outcomes
LOW SELF-REGULATION = BAD
HIGH SELF-REGULATION = GOOD
But is this always true?
HOW SPECIES ADAPTED TO ENVIRONMENTS OVER TIME
Some evolve physical features that are beneficial; others evolve specific
behaviors that are beneficial.
HOW SPECIES ADAPT TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTS IN REAL TIME
Plasticity - early environments, even in utero, shape physical characteristics and
behaviors to match the environment.
CHANGES TO BRAIN CONNECTIONS IMPORTANT FOR SELF-REGULATION
Palacios-Barrios & Hanson (2019)
WHERE IS HIGHER SELF-REGULATION HELPFUL?
Environments with
• High social support
• Resources readily available
• Time is plentiful
• High predictability
• Long life expectancy
RANGE OF HUMAN ENVIRONMENTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY
Dev.to
OUR BRAINS AND BODIES HAVE EVOLVED OVER TIME TO ADAPT TO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS
Biologywise.com
LONG HISTORY OF LIVING IN SOCIAL GROUPS
Illustrationhistory.org
WHEN MIGHT IT BE HELPFUL TO HAVE LOWER SELF-REGULATION, FOCUS ON REWARDS HERE AND NOW, AND/OR BE MORE IMPULSIVE?
OUR BRAINS, OUR ENVIRONMENTS
23% OF ARIZONA’S YOUNG CHILDREN LIVE IN POVERTY
U.S. Census Bureau (2019)
www.azeconomy.org
18% OF ARIZONA’S YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE EXPERIENCED 2+ ACES
Child & Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (2019)
www.militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org
