Schmidt L A, Fox N A, Rubin K H, Sternberg E M, Gold P W, Smith C C, Schulkin J
Institute for Child Study, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 1997 Mar;30(2):127-40. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2302(199703)30:2<127::aid-dev4>3.0.co;2-s.
Previous research has shown that infants who display a high frequency of motor activity and negative affect at 4 months of age are likely to be behaviorally inhibited toddlers. We examined social behaviors, maternal report of temperament, salivary cortisol, and baseline startle responses at age 4 in a sample of children, some of whom displayed a high frequency of motor activity and negative affect at 4 months of age. Infants who displayed this temperamental profile were reported by their mothers as more shy at age 4 compared with other children. We also found that 4-year-olds who displayed a high frequency of wary behavior during peer play exhibited relatively high morning salivary cortisol, were reported as contemporaneously shy by their mothers, and were behaviorally inhibited at 14 months of age. There were no significant relations found between baseline startle and morning salivary cortisol and measures of shyness at age 4. We speculate that high levels of cortisol in shy children may induce changes in the amygdala, exacerbating their fearfulness.
先前的研究表明，4个月大时表现出高频运动活动和消极情绪的婴儿很可能是行为抑制型幼儿。我们对一组儿童在4岁时的社交行为、母亲报告的气质、唾液皮质醇和基线惊吓反应进行了研究，其中一些儿童在4个月大时表现出高频运动活动和消极情绪。与其他孩子相比，母亲报告说，表现出这种气质特征的婴儿在4岁时更害羞。我们还发现，在同伴玩耍期间表现出高频警惕行为的4岁儿童，其早晨唾液皮质醇水平相对较高，母亲报告他们同时很害羞，并且在14个月大时表现出行为抑制。在基线惊吓反应与早晨唾液皮质醇以及4岁时的害羞测量之间未发现显著关系。我们推测，害羞儿童体内高水平的皮质醇可能会引起杏仁核的变化，加剧他们的恐惧。
