Emotion regulation strategy flexibility in childhood: When do children switch between different strategies?

Emotion regulation (ER) flexibility involves switching between ER strategies to manage negative emotions, but the conditions under which children select a specific strategy or switch strategies are unclear. In prior work, adults who are instructed to use certain ER strategies have been shown to switch strategies more often and to favor emotional disengagement strategies such as distraction when negative emotions are more intense. This experimental study examined the developmental origins of ER strategy use patterns that support flexible ER. Children (N = 181; 4-11 years of age; 91 girls) received no ER instructions (control) or were instructed to implement a specific cognitive strategy (distraction or reappraisal) while watching a negative emotional film. They self-reported their emotions multiple times and were later interviewed using open- and close-ended questions about the ER strategies they used while watching the film. Results revealed that children described instructed strategies as well as other uninstructed strategies. Distraction was described more often when children reported negative emotion, suggesting early-emerging awareness of the utility of disengagement strategies for managing negative feelings. Reporting strategies consistent with instructions and descriptions of strategy switching were more common with felt negative emotion, but only for children who received specific ER instructions. The pattern of results was stronger for direct questions, suggesting that reliance on open-ended questioning about ER strategy use might not reveal the full extent of children's capabilities. Children's flexible ER strategy use emerges early, is related to intrapersonal aspects of emotion development, and should be considered in instructed ER paradigms.