How Parents Support Their Children's Boredom Relates to Dynamics of Neurophysiological Correlates of Self‐Regulation

ABSTRACT

The goal of the study was to gain insight into how children respond to a task designed to induce boredom and whether it relates to trait boredom and how parents approach supporting their children's boredom. Eighty‐three 4‐ to 6‐year‐old children participated (42 female; M  = 5.27 years, SD = 0.79 years). The racial/ethnic composition of the sample was 76.1% Caucasian, 12.1% multiracial, 6.9% Asian, 1% Black/African American, 1% Native American/Alaska Native, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and 0.9% other. Trait boredom was measured using a parent‐adapted version of the boredom proneness scale and parents were asked three questions about how they approach helping their children resolve boredom. EEG was recorded while children completed a boredom induction task. Slopes in frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) across the task were extracted to determine if children used approach (leftward shift) or avoidance (rightward shift) to cope with boredom during the task. Boredom proneness was unrelated to shifts in frontal alpha activity ( p s > 0.05). However, children of parents who let them resolve boredom on their own exhibited a leftward shift in frontal alpha activity ( r  = 0.31), indicating these children use approach motivation when confronted with a boredom induction task, a self‐regulatory strategy that matches the demands of the task well. Results are discussed in the context of how parental strategies around boredom might influence how children learn to effectively cope with boredom.