# The Early Childhood Friendship Project: Testing Key Mechanisms and the Moderating Role of Physiological Reactivity

> **NIH NIH R01** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2022 · $694,557

## Abstract

This is a multi-method, multiple cohort, RCT for an early childhood school-based intervention designed to
decrease multiple subtypes of aggression and peer victimization and facilitate social and emotional learning,
which has clear theoretical, educational, clinical, and policy implications. Based on rigorous prior theory and
research including extensive preliminary data, we propose to assess the impact of the Early Childhood
Friendship Project (ECFP) on changes in aggression/peer victimization subtypes, prosocial behavior, and
social and academic competence with a teacher-implemented (with coaching) version of the program. Further,
we will examine whether changes in executive functioning, emotion regulation, and hostile attribution biases
indirectly account for the program effects. We will test if physiological reactivity (skin conductance and
respiratory sinus arrhythmia) serves as moderators of intervention effects. Data will be collected from 600
children (30 randomly assigned preschool classrooms) diverse in SES and race/ethnicity. We will use multiple
methods (school-based observations, direct academic assessments, child interviews, physiological reactivity
using two tasks, observer, caregiver, and teacher reports) to assess the efficacy of the program, hypothesized
mechanisms, and role of physiology as a moderator of intervention effects. The duration of the effects will be
tested at both 4 month and 12-month follow-up and will thus demonstrate the impact the program has on
children’s school readiness and transition to kindergarten. The current proposal will use time intensive and
state-of-the-art techniques for assessing all constructs, which enhances the rigor of the approach. Investigating
the effects of a teacher-coaching model of the ECFP provides a critical next step in large-scale dissemination
of the program. Additionally, focusing on the role of physiological reactivity is a key goal for clinical child
research on the biological embedding of early adversity and its consequences prior to and after the transition
to school, which supports the innovation and impact of the proposal. Understanding these mechanisms
implicated in the efficacy of the program will enhance our understanding of how to foster wellness and school
readiness. The proposed project will provide a rich dataset with opportunities for secondary questions not
contingent on the efficacy of the ECFP as well as additional exploratory analyses related to functions of
aggression and bullying subtypes. The proposed project is well positioned to advance major “high-priority”
initiatives of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Child
Development and Behavior Branch): Advancing research on the social, environmental, and biological factors
that impact adaptive behavior development and school functioning. In addition, this work is related to NICHD’s
“high-priority” research areas such as: psychosocial adjustment for individuals in h...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10487724
- **Project number:** 1R01HD105496-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMIE M OSTROV
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $694,557
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-31 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10487724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10487724, The Early Childhood Friendship Project: Testing Key Mechanisms and the Moderating Role of Physiological Reactivity (1R01HD105496-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10487724. Licensed CC0.

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