Journal article
Children's Road-Crossing Behavior: Emotional Decision Making and Emotion-Based Temperamental Fear and Anger
Journal of pediatric psychology, Vol.45(10), pp.1188-1198
11/01/2020
DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa076
PMCID: PMC7850000
PMID: 32951057
Abstract
Child pedestrian injuries represent a global public health burden. To date, most research on psychosocial factors affecting children's risk of pedestrian injury focused on cognitive aspects of children's functioning in traffic. Recent evidence suggests, however, that emotional aspects such as temperament-based fear and anger/frustration, as well as executive function-based emotional decision making, may also affect children's safety in traffic. This study examined the role of emotions on children's pedestrian behavior. Three hypotheses were considered: (a) emotion-based temperament factors of fear and anger/frustration will predict children's risky decisions and behaviors; (b) emotional decision making will predict risky pedestrian decisions and behaviors; and (c) children's pedestrian decision making will mediate relations between emotion and risky pedestrian behavior. The role of gender was also considered.
In total, 140 6- to 7-year-old children (M = 6.7 years, SD = 0.39; 51% girls) participated. Parent-report subscales of Child Behavior Questionnaire measured temperamental fear and anger/frustration. The Hungry Donkey Task, a modified version of Iowa Gambling Task for children, measured children's emotional decision making, and a mobile virtual reality pedestrian environment measured child pedestrian behavior.
Greater anger/frustration, lesser fear, and more emotional decision making all predicted poorer pedestrian decision making. The mediational model demonstrated that pedestrian decision making, as assessed by delays entering safe traffic gaps, mediated the relation between emotion and risky pedestrian behavior. Analyses stratified by gender showed stronger mediation results for girls than for boys.
These results support the influence of emotions on child pedestrian behavior and reinforce the need to incorporate emotion regulation training into child pedestrian education programs.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Children's Road-Crossing Behavior: Emotional Decision Making and Emotion-Based Temperamental Fear and Anger
- Creators
- Mahboobeh Hashemi Juzdani - Ferdowsi University of MashhadCasie H Morgan - University of Alabama at BirminghamDavid C Schwebel - University of Alabama at BirminghamZahra Tabibi - Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of pediatric psychology, Vol.45(10), pp.1188-1198
- DOI
- 10.1093/jpepsy/jsaa076
- PMID
- 32951057
- PMCID
- PMC7850000
- NLM abbreviation
- J Pediatr Psychol
- ISSN
- 0146-8693
- eISSN
- 1465-735X
- Grant note
- R01 HD088415 / NICHD NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/01/2020
- Academic Unit
- Research Administration
- Record Identifier
- 9984949188602771
Metrics
3 Record Views