The relation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia to later shyness: Moderation by neighborhood quality

Zhang, Hui; Spinrad, Tracy L.; Eisenberg, Nancy; Zhang, Linlin

doi:10.1002/dev.21637

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 91 publications

(114 reference statements)

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“…Similarly, Zhang, Spinrad, Eisenberg, and Zhang () noted the importance of the rearing environment context when examining relations between baseline RSA and shyness in 7‐year‐olds. The authors found that RSA was negatively related to child shyness when the environment quality was high.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self‐regulation

MacGowan

2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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Maternal psychological factors are known to play a critical role in children's socioemotional development, particularly in pro‐ and anti‐social behaviors. Although shyness is a ubiquitous phenomenon and associated with social anxiety, relatively few have examined the relation between maternal shyness and children's socioemotional development. We explored the moderating influence of children's resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and RSA change on the relation between maternal shyness and children's shyness, empathy, and aggression in 129 (62 males) typically developing 4‐ (n = 81) and 6‐ (n = 48) year‐olds. We found that 6‐year‐olds' RSA change score from baseline to a cognitive challenge task acted as a moderator on the relation between mother's shyness and child observed empathy but not for maternal report of child aggression or child's observed shyness. These results were not found in the 4‐year‐olds. Six‐year‐olds with relatively high RSA change and relatively low maternal shyness displayed the highest levels of empathy. These results suggest that the maternal caregiving environment and biological characteristics of the child may confer individual differences in prosocial behaviors in children. Findings are discussed in terms of age‐related differences in socioemotional behaviors in children of shy mothers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self‐regulation

MacGowan

2019

Developmental Psychobiology

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“…Studies linking resting RSA and shyness and related constructs have been mixed. Some studies have found a negative association between resting RSA and behavioral inhibition (Fox, 1989), shyness more broadly (Doussard-Roosevelt et al, 2003) and only in the context of high-income neighborhoods (Zhang et al, 2018), social fear (Stifter & Jain, 1996), and social reticence (Henderson et al, 2004). As well, at least one study has found a significant association in the opposite direction (Dietrich et al, 2009).…”

Section: Temperamental Shyness Biology and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

How biology shapes the development of shyness within specific contexts: A longitudinal, cross-lagged investigation.

Hassan,

Schmidt

2023

Developmental Psychology

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Shyness is a temperamental trait that refers to fear and wariness in the face of social novelty and is known to have a biological basis. One proposed physiological correlate of shyness has been the change in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from baseline to a stressor. However, past research linking shyness and RSA change has been mixed, which may be, in part, due to a failure to carefully consider the context under which RSA change is measured and the directionality of relations. Using a longitudinal design and cross-lagged analysis (N = 103, 52 girls), we examined parent-reported shyness and RSA change during a stranger approach task (social stressor) and a locked box task (nonsocial stressor) at ages 3 (M age at Time 1 = 3.50 years, SD age = 0.19 years) and 4 (M age at Time 2 = 4.76 years, SD age = 0.38). Cardiac vagal withdrawal during the stranger approach task, but not during the frustration task, at age 3 positively predicted shyness at age 4. Shyness at age 3 did not predict cardiac vagal change in either context at age 4. We also found that changes in RSA measured during the frustration task were stable across time, but changes in RSA measured during the stranger approach task were not stable across time, suggesting a developmental change in physiological regulatory systems to social threat. These results suggest that, although biology may come first in shaping children's behavior, this relation depends critically on the context and the incentives in the child's environment. Public Significance StatementAt age 3, cardiac vagal withdrawal, a physiological index of reactivity, was positively related to shyness 1 year later. This relation was specific to cardiac vagal withdrawal measured in a social threat context but not in a frustrating context that was less socially threatening. These results highlight the importance of considering context when examining biological factors that place individuals at greater risk of developing shyness.

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The Biology of Shyness and Adapting to Threat

2020

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The relation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia to later shyness: Moderation by neighborhood quality

Cited by 6 publications

References 91 publications

Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self‐regulation

Shyness, aggression, and empathy in children of shy mothers: Moderating influence of children's psychophysiological self‐regulation

How biology shapes the development of shyness within specific contexts: A longitudinal, cross-lagged investigation.

The Biology of Shyness and Adapting to Threat

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