Heart-rate correlates of childhood activities: play, exploration, problem-solving and day-dreaming

Heart-rate was monitored while children were engaged in different activities. The first study examined the hypothesis that the behavioural distinction between exploration and play would be supported by the psychophysiological measure. Two-year-olds showed suppression of heart rate variability (HRV) during exploration, and even more during solution of a puzzle, suggesting that the task demands these two activities were greater than those during play. The second study demonstrated a relationship between HRV during daydreaming and during problem solving in 9-year-old children which was similar to that obtained between play and problem solving in younger children. The correlative use of HRV thus strengthened functional interpretations of behaviour.