Exploring affect and regulation as predictors of conflict in late childhood and early adolescence

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the links between affect and regulation to determine if they act as viable predictors of how students in late childhood and early adolescence approach conflict and handle conflict resolution. Affect, in this study, is composed of positive affect and negative affect, as outlined by Watson, D., Clark, L., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070. and regulation was examined through two component factors: attention and inhibitory control. Three different scales – and their subscales – were used to measure these factors. Results are discussed in terms of correlations of conflict and showed that affect had strong statistical significance in how adolescents approached conflict, whereas regulation did not have the same statistical weight. Results are interpreted through the use of current research in the fields of conflict, affect, and regulation.