Self-Regulation and Autonomy: An Introduction

Th e study of self-regulation and autonomy has emerged as an important topic at the intersection of several areas in psychology. Developmental psychologists (e.g., Blair & Ursach, 2011 ; Carlson, 2005 ; Posner & Rothbart, 2007 ; Zelazo, Carlson, & Kesek, 2008 ) have identifi ed diff erent aspects of regulatory control and how these change over time. Social psychologists (e.g., Bandura, 1997 ; Deci & Ryan, 2000 ; Ryan & Deci, 2000 ) have emphasized the importance of autonomy, agency, and self-determined goal setting for healthy psycho-social functioning and academic achievement. Similarly, educational psychologists (e.g., Bodrova & Leong, 2006) consider successful self-regulation to be vital for controlling impulses, attention, cognition, and emotions relevant to academic adjustment (Calkins & Howse, 2004 ). Th is interest of developmental, social, and educational psychologists has also been accompanied by a growing understanding of the neurological features of self-regulation (Heatherton & Wagner, 2011 ; Hrabok & Kerns, 2010 ), including the role that diff erences in the interand intra-hemispheric organization of the brain, as well as diff erent neurotransmitters, play in predicting developmental and individual diff erences (e.g., Converse, Pathak, Steinhauser, & Homan, 2012 ; Luciana, Wahlstrom, Porter, & Collins, 2012). Th is volume brings together distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplines, including social psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology, and neuroscience, to explore the many ways that selfregulation and autonomy impact human life. Given the many diff erent contributors to theory and research on these topics, it can be challenging to Chapter 1