Preschool Emotional Competence: Pathway to Social Competence?

TLDR

The study used latent variable modeling to examine how preschoolers’ emotional expressiveness, regulation, and knowledge predict social competence both concurrently and longitudinally, and tested age and sex moderation. Emotional competence at ages 3–4 predicts both current and kindergarten social competence, indicating early emotional skills have lasting effects.

Abstract

Preschoolers’ (N = 143) patterns of emotional expressiveness, emotion regulation, and emotion knowledge were assessed. Their contributions to social competence, as evidenced by sociometric likability and teacher ratings, were evaluated via latent variable modeling, both concurrently and across time. Moderation of key results by age and sex was also explored. Emotional competence assessed at 3 to 4 years of age contributed to both concurrent and kindergarten social competence. Even early in the preschool period, contributions of emotional competence to social competence have long–term implications.