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Research assignment
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The study by Perry and colleagues (2018), "Childhood self-regulation as a mechanism

through which early over-controlling parenting is associated with adjustment in preadolescence,"

which was published in the Developmental Psychology Journal, is cited in this article from the

American Psychological Website, that explores the detrimental effects of over-parenting on a

child's capacity for self-regulation. In this research paper, we will contrast the two pieces to see if

the information on the American Psychological Association website accurately presents the

source or if it is filtered.

The article discusses how parents can leave a lasting impact on their children based on

their parenting style. Children rely on caregivers for guidance and understanding of their

emotions. Researchers found out that during the observations, helicopter parenting behavior

included parents constantly guiding their children by being strict and demanding. Over-

controlling parents had a different impact on children of different ages for example, at the age of

2 it was associated with poor emotional and behavioral regulation. It was concluded that parents

can help their children control their emotions and behavior by talking with them about

understanding their feelings and the consequences of different responses and learning effective

coping strategies.

The primary study question of this study was finding childhood self-regulation as a

mechanism via which early over-controlling parenting is associated with adjustment in

preadolescence (Nicole B. Perry, 2018). Three main hypotheses were examined in the paper. The

study's initial hypothesis examined the relationship between toddlers' emotional and behavioral

self-regulation as measured by emotional regulation and inhibitory control, and the effects of

overly controlling parenting during this time (Nicole B. Perry, 2018). The second hypothesis

looked at the relationship between early behavioral and emotional self-regulation abilities and
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changes in preadolescent social, emotional, and academic adjustment (Nicole B. Perry, 2018).

The third hypothesis investigated whether emotional and behavioral self-regulation abilities in

early infancy functioned as a conduit between excessively restrictive parenting during

toddlerhood and modifications in children's adjustment during preadolescence, which occurs

eight years later.

Three groups of kids with similar characteristics were used in the study. The goal of the

recruitment process was to gather a sample of kids who were likely to experience externalizing

behavior problems in the future and who would also serve as racial and socioeconomic status

(SES) representatives of the community. An approximately equal number of boys and girls were

sought after. Thus, 422 participants’ total—447 children—were included in the study that was

being carried out. There were 52% girls and 48% boys, and mother-child interaction data from

the 2-year laboratory assessment was also available (Nicole B. Perry, 2018).

Over-controlling parenting in toddlerhood, self-regulation in early childhood, and social,

emotional, and academic adjustment in preadolescence were all the subjects of this 8-year

longitudinal study (Nicole B. Perry, 2018). The children were 2, 5, and 10 years old when the

data was gathered.

The study employed various methods and a total of eleven measures. Mothers reported

the race of their children, who were coded as follows: 1 = European American, 2 = African

American, 3 = Mixed, and 4 =other. Codes for child sex were 1 for male and 2 for female. The

Hollingshead (1975) was used to determine the socioeconomic status. The index consists of four

factors: marital status, sex, education, and occupation. Mothers completed the Child Behavior

Checklist (CBCL) for children ages 2-3 to evaluate externalizing behaviors at the age of 2

(Achenbach, 1992). As an index, the externalizing subscale was employed. The analyses
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employed externalizing behavior standardized r scores. An Early Parenting Coding System was

used to evaluate maternal overcontrol at the age of two. At age 2, maternal overcontrol was noted

during a 4-minute pretend play and a 2-minute clean-up task. Using an observed measure of

global regulation during the "I am not sharing" task—a task intended to elicit child frustration—

emotion regulation at age five was indexed. The A shape Stroop Task, which consists of an

identification phase and a Stroop phase, was used to measure inhibitory control in children aged

five. Instructors reported on their students' internalizing symptoms in kindergarten by using the

Teacher Rating Scale (TRS) to rate internalizing behaviors from the Behaviour Assessment

System for Child—Second Edition. In the analyses, normative t-scores were employed. When

students were in kindergarten (age 5) and fifth grade (age 5) and their teachers completed the

Academic Performance Rating Scale, they evaluated the students' academic productivity. This

19-item scale was created to gauge how well teachers thought the students performed

academically. To evaluate students' social skills at ages five and ten, teachers filled out the Social

Skills Rating System (SSRS) elementary version. At the 10-year assessment, children completed

the Self-Report of Personality (SRP) child version (8–11) of the BASC-2 to evaluate their

emotional and academic issues at age 10.

The findings of the first hypothesis showed that children's ER at age 5 was negatively

correlated with maternal overcontrol at age 2 and that children who had higher levels of maternal

control as toddlers were more likely to have trouble controlling their behavior and regulating

their emotions. According to the findings of the second hypothesis, children who exhibited

greater self-control at the age of five were more likely to experience improvements in their social

and academic productivity as well as a decrease in emotional and academic difficulties as they

entered adolescence. The indirect impact of maternal overcontrol at age 2 on emotional

challenges, academic productivity, and academic productivity was also significant, as evidenced

by children's IC at age 5. These findings imply that the social, emotional, and academic transition

from childhood to preadolescence was influenced by changes in teacher and child reports of the

behavior and emotional control of young children.

One study demonstrates how early emotional regulation and inhibitory control predict

children's assessments of how favorably they view their relationship with their teachers. Thus, by

the end of early childhood, children with overcontrolling parents may be less able to handle the

demanding demands that come with entering and navigating through the school environment,

leading to greater maladjustment across social, emotional, and behavioral domains. Overall, the

study's findings suggest that overcontrolling parenting early in life may hurt children's ER and IC

development throughout early childhood. Their capacity to control their emotions, as well as hers

and their peers.

The popular article does a decent job of summarizing the main source's conclusions. The

results of a longitudinal study carried out by Perry and colleagues (2018), in which they watched

the same group of kids at ages 2, 5, and 10, are included in the primary source. Teachers' reports

of the kids, the children's self-report at age 10, and observations of the kids interacting with their

parents in a natural setting all served to gather data about the kids while they were being

watched. The children in the sample were primarily African American and White, and they came

from a variety of economic backgrounds, adding diversity and reflecting the financial

circumstances of children in the broader population. While there are many points of agreement

between the two papers, the popular article did not address some of the shortcomings that were

noted in the original research. These limitations included the following: 1) the study only

included measures that differed in reporter and items, which is not ideal for assessing
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development over time; 2) it only measured two components of self-regulation (emotional

regulation and inhibitory response) when only one behavioral measure (angry) was used to

record it; and 3) it excluded parenting styles and self-regulation before the age of two. The

popular article provides a succinct summary of the primary source despite its flaws.

By giving us a study that demonstrates the detrimental effects of overparenting on

children's emotional well-being, the popular article fairly summarizes the original report.

However, because it omits some of the limitations covered in the original report, it may slightly

mislead the average reader. Notwithstanding these drawbacks, children would benefit from the

study's conclusions since they inform parents about the negative effects of overparenting and

constructive alternatives. Long-term benefits include teaching kids how to independently control

their emotions and handle a variety of scenarios.

The idea of comparing 2 articles was fairly new to me. I was a little surprised after

knowing the limitations of the article that were not addressed. Those limitations can make the

reader biased and might hide the true idea of the study which would keep the reader away from

the risks and benefits. In the future, if I plan on doing research as a psychologist I will keep in

mind how studies can be manipulated in the media. Apart from that, as a student, I will try not to

trust secondary sources for information and will always find the primary source.
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References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Helicopter parenting may negatively affect

children's emotional well-being, behavior. American Psychological Association. Retrieved

April 13, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/06/helicopter-

parenting

Perry, Dollar, J. M., Calkins, S. D., Keane, S. P., & Shanahan, L. (2018). Childhood Self-

Regulation as a Mechanism Through Which Early Overcontrolling Parenting Is Associated

with Adjustment in Preadolescence. Developmental Psychology, 54(8), 1542–1554.

https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000536