Mara E Flynn, Taylor P Guba, Emily R Fyfe
ABBABB or 1212: Abstract language facilitates children's early patterning skills
Journal of experimental child psychology
internalizing externalizing behavioral problems place children increased risk low academic achievement socioemotional maladjustment childrens language skills level emotional reactivity shown predict behavioral problems later development yet absence research investigating vocabulary negative emotionality interactions respect development behavioral problems early childhood study sought fill gap examining whether relation preschool age 3 vocabulary size internalizingexternalizing problems early school years age 6 moderated preschool negative emotional reactivity even controlling preschool behavioral problems well childrens socioeconomic background longitudinal data collected 256 typically developing children 129 girls 75 white mothers 64 held college degree linear regression analyses revealed moderate rankorder stability childrens internalizing externalizing problems across period development evidence interaction effect emerged internalizing externalizing problems regression models age 3 vocabulary negatively related age 6 behavioral problems among children exhibiting higher levels negative emotional reactivity results indicate early vocabulary acquisition may serve buffer adverse behavioral outcomes children natural propensity toward expressing negative emotions findings point nuanced picture relations language emotional reactivity behavioral problems childhood discussed greater detail inform future intervention educational research