Emotion regulation and executive function measures: exploration of predicted relationships

Undergraduate college students (N - 170) were assessed with measures of executive function and emotion regulation, to determine whether the two constructs were related. Students completed 6 executive function tasks and 3 emotion regulation questionnaires. The executive function tasks were grouped into 3 components: inhibition, working memory, and task switching. A principle components factor analysis of emotion regulation questionnaire items was expected to produce 3 factors: appraisal of emotion, control of emotion, and instrumental use of emotion. Contrary to expectation 4 clear emotion regulation factors were produced, but only one, control of emotion, corresponded to a hypothesized component, and this was limited to control of emotional behavior. Relations among the 4 observed emotion regulation factors and overall executive function and individual components of executive function were also evaluated. Only the obtained control of emotional behavior factor was significantly related to overall executive function, and the inhibition component specifically. Possible implications are discussed.