Investigating how and for whom cumulative positive childhood experiences in infancy promote adaptive socioemotional development at preschool age

Abstract

Recently, we have witnessed a growing shift from an emphasis on problematic processes to that on positive processes and outcomes in developmental psychopathology and psychological research more generally. Adopting this lens, we addressed three aims. One, we examined developmental sequelae of cumulative positive childhood experiences (PCEs) in infancy, but in contrast to typical retrospective recall, we deployed multiple behavioral and parent-reported measures in a prospective design. We examined children’s socioemotional strengths and competencies – rather than diminished or absent problems – as outcomes at preschool age. Two, we examined how PCEs exert their impact, proposing children’s competence at toddler age as a mediator. Three, we proposed children’s negative emotional reactivity (anger proneness) as a moderator, expecting anger-prone children to be especially affected by variations in early positive experiences. A longitudinal study of 200 mothers, fathers, and infants (96 girls, 104 boys; 20% not “White alone”) from the U.S. Midwest, followed from 8 months to 4.5 years, confirmed the utility of a conceptual and methodological approach that emphasizes cumulative early PCEs and positive socioemotional outcomes and supported both hypotheses (mediation: B = 0.05, SE = 0.02, 95% CI [0.02, 0.10]; moderation: B = 0.12, SE = 0.06, 95% CI [0.01, 0.25]).