Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 10, 2026
08:42
A Familiarization Protocol Facilitates the Participation of Children with ASD in Electrophysiological Research
Published on: July 31, 2017
8.8K
Parental touch reduces social vigilance in children
Eddie Brummelman1, David Terburg2, Miranda Smit2
1Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 15780, 1001 NG Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Stanford University, United States.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|May 23, 2018
Summary
Parental touch signals safety and reduces social threat vigilance in children. This effect, particularly beneficial for socially anxious youth, diminishes during adolescence.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Parental touch, crucial for early development, influences offspring's stress systems.
- The psychological impact of parental touch, especially its role in environmental safety perception, remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the psychological effects of subtle parental touch on children's social vigilance and trust.
- To examine age-related differences in the impact of parental touch, comparing late childhood and early adolescence.
Main Methods:
- 138 parent-child dyads participated, with parents randomly assigned to briefly touch or not touch their child's shoulder.
- Children's implicit attention to social threat and trust levels were measured.
- Participants were in late childhood (8-10 years) and early adolescence (11-14 years).
Main Results:
- Parental touch significantly reduced children's implicit attention to social threat.
- While trust decreased in non-anxious children, it increased in socially anxious children following parental touch.
- These effects were significant only in late childhood, not in early adolescence.
Conclusions:
- Subtle parental touch acts as a safety signal for children, reducing social threat vigilance, particularly in late childhood.
- Parental touch is especially beneficial for socially anxious children, enhancing their trust.
- The safety-signaling function of parental touch appears to diminish with the transition to adolescence.
Related Concept Videos
02:57The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
56.1K
According to Charles Cooley, we base our image on what we think other people see (Cooley 1902). We imagine how we must appear to others, then react to this speculation. We don certain clothes, prepare our hair in a particular manner, wear makeup, use cologne, and the like—all with the notion that our presentation of ourselves is going to affect how others perceive us. We expect a certain reaction, and, if lucky, we get the one we desire and feel good about it. But more than that, Cooley...
56.1K
01:41Social Traps
26.9K
Social traps are negative situations where people get caught in a direction or relationship that later proves to be unpleasant, with no easy way to back out of or avoid. The concept was orignally introduced by John Platt who applied psychology to Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the Commons", where in New England herd owners could let their cattle graze in the common ground. This situation seems like a good idea, but an individual could have an advantage. If they owned...
26.9K
00:52Social Proof
32.4K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
32.4K
00:55Parental Care
12.8K
Many animals exhibit parental care behavior, including feeding, grooming, and protecting young offspring. Parental care is universal in mammals and birds, which often have young that are born relatively helpless. Several species of insects and fish, as well as some amphibians, also care for their young.
12.8K
02:10Social Scripts
10.3K
People tend to know what behavior is expected of them in specific, familiar settings. A script is a person’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting (Schank & Abelson, 1977). Essentially, scripts are a particular kind of schema, one containing default values for the features within an event. In the restaurant example, the script's features include the props (e.g., tables, menu, food, and money), the roles to be played (e.g., customer and waiter),...
10.3K
01:27Parenting Styles
700
Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles — authoritarian, authoritative, neglectful, and permissive — each influence children's socio-emotional development differently.
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
Authoritarian Parenting
This style is strict and controlling, with little room for open dialogue. Authoritarian parents demand obedience and often enforce rules with minimal warmth. Children raised this way may lack social skills and initiative, usually comparing themselves to others unfavorably.
Authoritative...
700