Physiological responses to social judgments: The influence of social acceptance, social rejection and aggression on heart rate reactivity of young children

The experience of being socially accepted or rejected can elicit different changes in heart rate reactivity of both children and adults. In addition, personal characteristics like aggressive behavior may influence this reaction. This study examined whether heart rate reactivity of four-to-seven-year-old children differed during the processing of positive, negative and neutral social judgments, and whether aggression levels were related to heart rate reactivity during the processing of social judgments. Heart rate and behavioral data of 29 children was collected during an adjusted version of the Social Judgment Task. Results showed significant differences in the behavioral responses to negative and neutral judgments, compared to the responses to positive judgments. No significant differences were found in heart rate reactivity during the three conditions. These results indicate that children do distinguish between the three conditions, but their heart rate reactivity might not be...Show moreThe experience of being socially accepted or rejected can elicit different changes in heart rate reactivity of both children and adults. In addition, personal characteristics like aggressive behavior may influence this reaction. This study examined whether heart rate reactivity of four-to-seven-year-old children differed during the processing of positive, negative and neutral social judgments, and whether aggression levels were related to heart rate reactivity during the processing of social judgments. Heart rate and behavioral data of 29 children was collected during an adjusted version of the Social Judgment Task. Results showed significant differences in the behavioral responses to negative and neutral judgments, compared to the responses to positive judgments. No significant differences were found in heart rate reactivity during the three conditions. These results indicate that children do distinguish between the three conditions, but their heart rate reactivity might not be influenced by the content of the feedback yet. Additionally aggression seems to be related to heart rate reactivity during the positive and negative condition. These findings suggest that heart rate reactivity in response to social judgments might develop throughout childhood, while aggression levels already influence heart rate reactivity in young children.Show less

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Physiological responses to social judgments: The influence of social acceptance, social rejection and aggression on heart rate reactivity of young children