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Toward a Unifying Model of Self‐regulation: A Developmental Approach
Author(s) -
Cole Pamela M.,
Ram Nilam,
English Mary Samantha
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
child development perspectives
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1750-8606
pISSN - 1750-8592
DOI - 10.1111/cdep.12316
Subject(s) - psychology , diversity (politics) , cognitive psychology , conceptual model , dynamics (music) , cognitive science , epistemology , sociology , pedagogy , philosophy , anthropology
The ability to self‐regulate is key to healthy, competent functioning. The breadth of evidence supporting the importance of self‐regulation is matched by such a diversity of terms, concepts, measures, and levels of analysis that the National Institutes of Health called for progress toward a unifying model. In this article, we review a lineage of conceptual models and suggest a path toward a more unifying model of self‐regulation that encompasses both the dynamics of moment‐to‐moment changes and age‐related change. Drawing from these models, we define self‐regulation as the influence of the recruitment of executive processes (EP) on prepotent responses (PR). We define these terms, locating self‐regulation in the dynamic relations between PR and EP, and offer a theoretical–mathematical approach to testing this model.