Parasympathetic Regulation and Maternal Parenting as Longitudinal Predictors of Preschooler Inhibitory Control.

Measures of parasympathetic regulation, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), predict executive function outcomes, including inhibitory control, across childhood. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia augmentation tends to be associated with more maladaptive outcomes compared to RSA suppression, but the literature regarding RSA profiles and inhibitory control development across infancy and early childhood is contradictory. The goal of our current study was to examine the longitudinal and interactive effects of infant RSA during a frustrating task with negative maternal characteristics on inhibitory control during early childhood.