Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Psychophysiology. 2017 Nov;54(11):1770-1781. doi: 10.1111/psyp.12915. Epub 2017 Jul 1.
Although low resting heart rate has been linked to frequent aggressive conduct in childhood, little is known about the interaction of this biological risk with social emotions that protect against aggression across development. With a sample of 5-, 8-, and 12-year-olds (N = 110), we tested whether the negative link between resting heart rate and physical aggression was offset by high guilt and sympathy. Caregivers reported their children's physical aggression and sympathy. Children's electrocardiogram data were collected while they viewed a nondescript video, after which they reported their guilt-or lack thereof-in response to vignettes depicting social transgressions. Lower resting heart rate was significantly associated with higher physical aggression in 5-year-olds who reported low-but not medium and high-levels of guilt, and in 8-year-olds with low-but not medium and high-ratings of sympathy. Neither guilt nor sympathy moderated the resting heart rate-physical aggression link in 12-year-olds. We discuss how social emotions may help children with low resting heart rates navigate social conflicts and avoid aggressive physical confrontations.
尽管较低的静息心率与儿童时期频繁的攻击性行为有关，但对于这种生物风险与保护个体免受攻击性发展的社会情绪之间的相互作用，我们知之甚少。本研究采用 5 岁、8 岁和 12 岁的儿童样本（N=110），检验了静息心率与身体攻击之间的负相关是否会被高内疚感和同情心所抵消。看护者报告了他们孩子的身体攻击和同情心。在孩子们观看一段无特征视频后，收集他们的心电图数据，然后他们根据描述社会越轨行为的情景短片报告自己的内疚感或缺乏内疚感。在报告低水平但不是中高水平内疚感的 5 岁儿童和报告低水平但不是中高水平同情水平的 8 岁儿童中，较低的静息心率与较高的身体攻击呈显著相关。在 12 岁儿童中，内疚感和同情心都没有调节静息心率与身体攻击之间的关系。我们讨论了社会情绪如何帮助静息心率较低的儿童处理社会冲突，避免攻击性的身体对抗。
