Dual‐process theories contend that interplay between higher‐order (i.e., regulatory) and lower‐order (i.e., reactive) systems influences the development of attention in early childhood. We therefore investigated interactions between an aspect of children's top‐down self‐regulation (i.e., effortful control; EC) and positive reactivity (indexed by observed positive affectivity; PA) and negative reactivity (indicated by cortisol stress reactivity and observed fear) in predicting children's early attention problems. We found that observed EC at the age of three predicted lower attention problems 2 years later, controlling for attention problems at baseline. Importantly, the predictive effect of EC was more pronounced for children higher in cortisol stress reactivity at the age of three; this pattern was not found for observed PA or fear. Findings align with dual‐process developmental theories that emphasize the dynamics between regulatory and reactive processes in shaping child development. Our study provides the first evidence supporting dual‐process interactions in the domain of attention problems and has implications for identifying early risk markers and informing early prevention programs for children at greater risk for attention problems.

中文翻译：

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儿童高阶调节与低阶反应性之间的动态关系预测注意力问题的发展

双过程理论认为，高阶（即监管）系统与低阶（即反应性）系统之间的相互作用会影响幼儿注意力的发展。因此，我们在预测儿童自上而下的自我调节（即努力控制； EC）与阳性反应（由观察到的积极情感； PA表示）和阴性反应（由皮质醇应激反应和观察到的恐惧表示）之间的相互作用方面进行了研究。儿童的早期注意问题。我们发现，三岁时观察到的EC会在2年后预测较低的注意力问题，控制基线的注意力问题。重要的是，对于三岁时皮质醇应激反应性较高的儿童，EC的预测作用更为明显。观察到的PA或恐惧未找到此模式。研究结果与双过程发展理论相吻合，后者强调塑造儿童发展过程中调节过程和反应过程之间的动态关系。我们的研究提供了支持注意力问题领域中双过程相互作用的第一个证据，并且对识别早期风险标志物和为面临更大注意力问题风险的儿童提供早期预防计划提供了启示。