Vagal Tone 1 Running head: VAGAL TONE, TEMPERAMENT, AND EMOTION REGULATION Vagal Tone and Temperament as Predictors of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Young Children

This study examines vagal tone and two dimensions of temperament as predictors of emotion regulation (ER) strategy use among children (n = 54, ages 4-7) of mothers varying in risk for depression. In one protocol, ER strategies were coded by trained raters during a delay of gratification task. Physiological and psychometric data were collected in an independent and separate protocol: vagal tone during rest (baseline), during the emotional challenge and following the challenge (recovery), and maternal reports of effortful control and negative affectivity. Children with lower vagal recovery and higher negative affectivity tended to focus on the desirable object or toy. Effortful control and negative affectivity were not associated with the ER strategies of positive reward anticipation or behavioral distraction. These findings are consistent with models of vagal tone and temperament as markers of individual differences in ER.