• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.93-110
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of emotional regulation strategies of 3-year-old infants in frustrating situations and the correlation between infants' emotional strategies and their mothers' responsive strategies. In the current study, 33 dyads of infant-mother were observed in the laboratory. Stansbury and Sigman's (2000) experimental instrument was revised and complemented according to Korean culture, and it was categorized into 5 measures for infants' use of emotional regulation strategies in frustrating situations and their mothers' responsive strategies: comforting, instrumental, cognitive reappraisal, distraction, and others. As a result, infants' emotional regulation strategies and their mothers' responsive strategies were categorized as 5 such strategies. The findings of this study showed that 3-year-old infants used complex strategies including cognitive reappraisal. They used instrumental strategy most during a 'clean up' frustrating situation and distraction strategy during a 'candy given then denied' situation. There was significant correlation between infants' emotional regulation strategies and their mothers' responsive strategies.