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Behavioral inhibition: linking biology and behavior within a developmental framework

Nathan A Fox1, Heather A Henderson, Peter J Marshall

  • 1Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. nf4@umail.umd.edu

Annual Review of Psychology
|February 16, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Behavioral inhibition, a child

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament characterized by wariness in novel situations.
  • BI is linked to neural systems governing fear responses.
  • Parallels exist between BI physiology and fear conditioning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review research on behavioral inhibition.
  • To explore the links between BI, neural systems, and fear.
  • To examine the influence of caregiving and cognition on BI.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of behavioral inhibition research.
  • Analysis of studies on neural correlates of fear.
  • Examination of research on cognitive and caregiving influences.

Main Results:

  • Strong physiological parallels between BI and fear systems.
  • Caregiving behaviors modulate BI frequency across development.
  • Cognitive processes moderate BI and influence cognitive development.

Conclusions:

  • Stable behavioral inhibition may be a risk factor for psychopathology, especially anxiety disorders.
  • BI research has broad impacts across development, cognition, and mental health.
  • An integrative account of BI research highlights its significance.

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