Ml. Diener et Sc. Mangelsdorf, Behavioral strategies for emotion regulation in toddlers: Associations with maternal involvement and emotional expressions, INFANT BEH, 22(4), 1999, pp. 569-583
Ninety-four mothers and their 18- or 24-month-old children participated in
four laboratory episodes designed to elicit fear or anger. Mothers' behavio
r was constrained for the first part of each episode; mothers were then ins
tructed to help their children. Toddlers' behavioral strategies differed as
a function of maternal involvement and as a function of the emotion-elicit
ing context. Only some of the behavioral strategies assumed to minimize exp
ressions of distress truly did so; other behaviors showed maintenance effec
ts on fear and anger expressions. The different pattern of results for the
fear and frustration episodes highlights the importance of examining behavi
oral strategies across contexts designed to elicit different emotions.