Quas Jodi A, Carrick Nathalie, Alkon Abbey, Goldstein Lauren, Boyce W Thomas
Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, 3340 Social Ecology II, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 2006 Dec;48(8):686-702. doi: 10.1002/dev.20184.
Although numerous studies have examined the relations between stress and memory in children, few studies have investigated physiological responses as predictors of children's memory for stressful events. In this study, 4- to 8-year-olds completed laboratory challenges and experienced a fire-alarm incident while their sympathetic and parasympathetic reactions were monitored. Shortly afterward, children's memory of the alarm incident was tested. As children's age and family income increased, memory performance improved. High sympathetic activation during the laboratory challenges was associated with enhanced memory. Also, a trend indicated that, among older children, greater general parasympathetic withdrawal was associated with poorer memory, but among younger children, parasympathetic withdrawal was unrelated to memory. Findings highlight the need to measure both sympathetic and parasympathetic responses when evaluating children's memory for mild stressors and to include a wide age range so that developmental changes in the relations between stress and memory in childhood can be identified.
尽管众多研究探讨了儿童压力与记忆之间的关系，但很少有研究调查生理反应作为儿童对压力事件记忆的预测指标。在本研究中，4至8岁儿童完成了实验室挑战，并在监测其交感神经和副交感神经反应的同时经历了一次火警事件。随后不久，测试了儿童对火警事件的记忆。随着儿童年龄和家庭收入的增加，记忆表现有所改善。实验室挑战期间的高交感神经激活与记忆增强有关。此外，一种趋势表明，在年龄较大的儿童中，更大程度的总体副交感神经退缩与较差的记忆有关，但在年龄较小的儿童中，副交感神经退缩与记忆无关。研究结果强调，在评估儿童对轻度压力源的记忆时，需要同时测量交感神经和副交感神经反应，并涵盖广泛的年龄范围，以便能够识别儿童期压力与记忆关系中的发育变化。
