1. The study examined the relationship between children's emotional abilities, emotion regulation knowledge, and behavioral adjustment. 2. Emotional abilities were measured using an emotion matching task and a puppets procedure to assess recognition and generation of emotion regulation strategies. Behavioral adjustment was assessed using measures of externalizing problems, internalizing problems, and adaptive skills. 3. Results showed that children's performance on the emotion labeling dimension of the matching task and their recognition and generation of effective emotion regulation strategies predicted fewer externalizing problems and greater adaptive skills. Repeated ineffective strategies also predicted more externalizing problems.

1. Emotion labelling and
generation of emotion regulation strategies:
contribution for young children´s adjustment
Natalia Alonso-Alberca & Ana I. Vergara
University of the Basque Country
7th European Conference on Positive Psychology
Amsterdam, 1-4 July 2014

2. Theoretical framework
Emotions
Adaptation
Preparing
for action
Social
communication
(Izard y Ackerman, 2000)
(Ekman, 1992)
2

3. Set of abilities to monitor one's own and
others' emotions, to discriminate among
them, and to use the information to guide
one's thinking and actions
(Salovey & Mayer, 1990)
Ability model
Perceiving
Understanding
Managing
Using
(Mayer & Salovey, 1997)
(Mayer, Roberts, & Barsade, 2008)
(Martins, Ramalho, & Morin, 2010)
(Schutte, Malouff, Thorsteinnson, Bhullar, & Rooke, 2007)
(Zeidner, Roberts, & Matthews, 2008)
Emotional Intelligence (EI)
3

4. Expression
(Chóliz, Fernández-
Abascal, & Martínez-
Sánchez, 2012)
Perception
(Gross y Ballif, 1991; Sorce,
Emde, Campos, & Klinnert,
1985)
Understanding
(Izard et al., 2011)
Managing
(Cole, Martin, & Dennis,
2004)
(Denham, Bailey, & Zinser, 2011)
(Schultz, Izard, & Abe, 2005)
(Zeidner, Matthews, Roberts, & MacCann, 2003)
Emotional intelligence in childhood
4
Social skills
(Bariola, Gullon, & Hughes,
2011; Denham, 2006)
School adjustment
(Garner & Waajid, 2012;
Izard & cols., 2001)
Externalizing
(Bariola & cols., 2011;
Trentacosta & Fine, 2010)
Internalizing
(Eisenberg & cols., 2001a;
Trentacosta & Fine, 2010)

5. Aims & participants
5
Study the predictive role of emotion knowledge and
emotion regulation knowledge on behaviour.
a. Emotional abilities are related to lower externalizing problems.
b. Emotional abilities relates to higher of adaptive skills.
N = 250 (3 to 6 years old)
Mmonths = 53,87 (R = 35-72)
Madrid (Spain)
14,4%
14,8%
18,4%
16%
18,4%
18%
3 years old
5 years old4 years old
BoysGirls

6. Emotion Matching Task
(Izard, Haskins, Schultz, Trentacosta, & King, 2003)
(Alonso-Alberca, Vergara, Fernández-Berrocal, Johnson &
Izard, 2012)
EMTtotal (Ω = .77)
EMT.1. Emotion Association (Ω = .72)
EMT.2. Emotion Understanding (Ω = .88)
EMT.3. Emotion Labelling (Ω = .87)
EMT.4. Emotion Recognition (Ω = .97)
Behaviour
Verbal ability Emotional intelligence
Emotion
Regulation
Emotion
Knowledge
EMT
Puppets Proc.
Measures
6
Behavior Assessment System for Children
(BASC)
(Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004)
106 items
Externalizing (α = .93)
Internalizing (α = .80)
Adaptive skills (α = .92)
Puppets Procedure
(Cole, Dennis, Smith-Simon, & Cohen, 2009)
Two situations: Anger & Sadness
ER Strategy Recognition (α = .72)
ER Strategy Generation (к > .80)
PPVT-III
(Dunn, Dunn, & Arribas, 2006)
(Ω = .96)

7. EMT.1. Emotion matching
EMT.2. Emotion
understanding
Measures for EI
7
EMT.3. Emotion labelling
EMT.4. Emotion recognition
Strategies Recognition
Strategies Generation
Emotion Matching Task (EMT)
Puppets Procedure
New / Repeated
Effective / Ineffective

8. Results

9. Emotion knowledge dimensions
9
5,00
6,00
7,00
8,00
9,00
10,00
11,00
12,00
EMT 1 EMT 2 EMT 3 EMT 4
3 years old
4 years old
5 years old
M SD R
AGE (months) 53.87 10.35 35-72
Verbal ability 109.59 11.64 70-145
EMT.1 (Matching) 8.61 1.95 2-12
EMT.2 (Understanding) 7.30 2.06 2-12
EMT.3 (Labelling) 9.11 2.15 0-12
EMT.4 (Recognition) 10.09 1.59 3-12
ADAPTIVE ABILITIES 33.63 9.82 7-54
EXTERNALIZING PROBLEMS 11.76 9.70 0-45

10. Externalizing problems Adaptive skills
Behaviour prediction
10
R2 = .094 β
Sex ,16*
Inefficient Anger ,14**
Repeated Anger ,20**
Inefficient Sad -,11
Repeated Sad -,19**
R2 = .208 β
Sex -,23**
Verbal ab. ,14*
EMT.3. Labelling ,20**
Recognition (Anger) ,13*
Efficient (Anger) ,15*
Repeated (Anger) -,19**
Repeated (Sad) ,15*

11. Externalizing problems Adaptive skills
Behaviour prediction
11
R2 = .094 β
Sex ,16*
Inefficient Anger ,14**
Repeated Anger ,20**
Inefficient Sad -,11
Repeated Sad -,19**
R2 = .208 β
Sex -,23**
Verbal ab. ,14*
EMT.3. Labelling ,20**
Recognition (Anger) ,13*
Efficient (Anger) ,15*
Repeated (Anger) -,19**
Repeated (Sad) ,15*

12. Externalizing problems Adaptive skills
Behaviour prediction
12
R2 = .094 β
Sex ,16*
Inefficient Anger ,14**
Repeated Anger ,20**
Inefficient Sad -,11
Repeated Sad -,19**
R2 = .208 β
Sex -,23**
Verbal ab. ,14*
EMT.3. Labelling ,20**
Recognition (Anger) ,13*
Efficient (Anger) ,15*
Repeated (Anger) -,19**
Repeated (Sad) ,15*

13. Externalizing problems Adaptive skills
Behaviour prediction
13
R2 = .094 β
Sex ,16*
Inefficient Anger ,14**
Repeated Anger ,20**
Inefficient Sad -,11
Repeated Sad -,19**
R2 = .208 β
Sex -,23**
Verbal ab. ,14*
EMT.3. Labelling ,20**
Recognition (Anger) ,13*
Efficient (Anger) ,15*
Repeated (Anger) -,19**
Repeated (Sad) ,15*

14. Conclusions

15. Conclusions
15
1. EK & ERK increase knowledge about child´s adjustment.
2. EI can be of help for better understanding child´s
behaviour.
3. Help the child to name emotions, and to generate diverse
and effective strategies.
4. Sadness and anger show different profiles in behaviour
prediction
5. Interventions design and effectiveness.
6. Usefull for cross-cultural research.

16. The final aim…
is to contribute valuable information
to help children to develop
resources
to deal with difficult situations in
positive ways…
16

17. Natalia Alonso-Alberca
natalia.alonso@ehu.es