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Tympanic membrane temperature and emotional dispositions in preschool-aged children: a methodological study

Megan R Gunnar1, Bonny Donzella

  • 1Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. gunnar@umn.edu

Child Development
|April 2, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Tympanic membrane (TM) temperature asymmetry in children is a stable indicator of emotionality. However, multiple temperature measurements are needed to reliably assess this phenotype.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child psychology

Background:

  • Tympanic membrane (TM) temperature asymmetry is a proposed marker for negative emotionality in children.
  • Limited data exists on the stability and reliability of TM temperature measurements for phenotypic assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the stability of TM temperature asymmetry over time in young children.
  • To determine the number of samples required for a reliable TM temperature asymmetry measure.
  • To examine the relationship between TM asymmetry and children's emotionality.

Main Methods:

  • Collected TM temperatures from 73 children aged 3-5 years over 5 months.
  • Aggregated 7-10 temperature samples to achieve reliable measures (alphas > .70).
  • Analyzed the stability of TM asymmetry and its correlation with emotionality measures.

Main Results:

  • Reliable TM temperature asymmetry measures required aggregating 7-10 samples.
  • TM asymmetry demonstrated significant stability over the 5-month period (r=.72, p<.01).
  • A majority of children (70%) exhibited warmer left TMs, and asymmetry correlated with emotionality.

Conclusions:

  • TM temperature asymmetry is a stable phenotype in young children.
  • Multiple measurements are necessary for reliable assessment of TM asymmetry.
  • TM asymmetry may serve as a phenotypic marker for vulnerability to negative emotionality.

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