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Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
Children's physiological reactivity in emotion contexts and prosocial behavior
Brianne R Coulombe1, Kristen L Rudd1, Tuppett M Yates1
1University of California Riverside, Riverside, California.
Brain and Behavior
|September 17, 2019
Summary
Children's autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation during sad emotion challenges influences later prosocial behavior. Specifically, parasympathetic nervous system reactivity, not sympathetic, showed a nonlinear link to increased prosocial sharing in children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Prosocial behavior is linked to regulating personal distress.
- Physiological regulation is key to effective emotion regulation.
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity may influence prosocial behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how children's ANS reactivity during emotion challenges relates to their later prosocial behavior.
- To examine the role of parasympathetic (respiratory sinus arrhythmia; RSA) and sympathetic (pre-ejection period; PEP) reactivity.
- To explore these relations in response to sadness, happiness, and fear stimuli.
Main Methods:
- A diverse sample of 169 school-aged children (age 7) participated.
- Children's RSA and PEP reactivity were measured during three film-elicited emotion challenges.
- Prosocial behavior was assessed via observation and parent report one year later.
Main Results:
- Parasympathetic reactivity (RSA) to sadness showed a nonlinear relation with later prosocial sharing.
- Children with high or low RSA reactivity to sadness exhibited more prosocial behavior.
- Sympathetic reactivity (PEP) and parasympathetic reactivity to happiness/fear did not predict prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
- A nonlinear association exists between children's parasympathetic emotion reactivity and later prosocial behavior.
- ANS regulation in response to sadness appears particularly important for prosocial development.
- This suggests nuanced physiological mechanisms underlying children's prosociality.
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