Feedback related negativity (FRN) is an event related potential (ERP) component that is often linked to the processing of negative feedback. Previous studies indicated different physical reactions...Show moreFeedback related negativity (FRN) is an event related potential (ERP) component that is often linked to the processing of negative feedback. Previous studies indicated different physical reactions during the processing of positive and negative feedback. However, no studies investigated FRN potential differences during the processing of social feedback in young children. The present study examined differences in FRN potentials in children of 4 6 years old (N = 17, M = 5.61, 64,7% boys) during the processing of positive, negative and neutral social feedback. In addition, gender differences in effortful control (EC) and the relation between EC and the FRN difference score were examined. The FRN potentials were recorded during an age appropriate social judgment task accomplished by the participants. The results indicated no significant differences in FRN potentials during the processing of positive, negative and neutral social judgements, suggesting that young children do not differentiate between social judgments yet. According to the EC results, no relation is found between EC and the FRN difference score. These results suggest no relation between EC and FRNd potentials in young children. Also, no gender differences were found in EC, suggesting that young boys and girls have similar levels of inhibition and attentional focusing.Show less
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...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
Introduction: Aggressive behavior following positive, negative and neutral social judgments has been examined in an exploratory research, namely in an experimental setting. Furthermore the link...Show moreIntroduction: Aggressive behavior following positive, negative and neutral social judgments has been examined in an exploratory research, namely in an experimental setting. Furthermore the link between fear of rejection and aggressive reactions has been investigated. Methods: Eleven participants (age 22-26) gave consent for joining the study. Aggressive reactions, i.e., positive, negative and neutral social judgments about their toy, were measured using a modified version of the social judgment paradigm. Fear of social rejection has been measured with a standardized survey (FNE-R). Results: Rejection seems to result in heightened aggressive reactions, compared to positive and neutral judgments. However, aggression following neutral and negative judgments correlated around .9. Fear of rejection did not influence aggression scores. Discussion: The results show a trend towards a consistency between rejection and increased aggression. Further research is needed to examine the role of gender in the interplay between rejection and aggression, and to examine the ambiguous character of the neutral social judgment found in this research.Show less
