Published March 23, 2026
Children’s emotion regulation (ER) is associated with positive cognitive and psychological outcomes, yet little is known about whether and which aspects of early experiences foster its development. Focusing on a Chinese cultural setting, the researchers in this study examined children’s ER at two time points, one year apart, and evaluated how caregivers’ elaboration during joint narratives about past and future events contributed to children’s socioemotional development. Caregivers who used statements to elaborate on past and future events during caregiver-child joint narratives tended to have children with more advanced ER in the context of solving social problems one year later. The researchers also considered the role of the theory of mind (ToM) in this association. Findings highlight the important role that caregiver-child interactions play in supporting socioemotional development and their implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms.
Yang, Q. T., Leyva, D., Liu, Y., Rowe, M. L., & Wei, R. (2026). Caregivers’ Elaboration During Joint Narratives Predicts Chinese Children’s Emotion Regulation: Is Theory of Mind a Mediator? Journal of Cognition and Development.