Dissociations between psychobiologic reactivity and emotional expression in children

Although there are general assumptions that physiological and behavioral in dices of emotion are interrelated empirical research has revealed inconsist ent findings with regard to their degree of association, particularly in ch ildren. Two studies were conducted to examine the relations between cardiov ascular reactivity and emotional behavior: In the first study, 3- to 6-year -olds completed challenging tasks during which measures of their physiologi cal responses and facial expressions were obtained With age, children's hea rt rate decreased vagal tone increased and facial expressions became slight ly more exaggerated However; children's physiologic reactions were unrelate d to their concurrent facial expression when all children were considered w hen only boys were considered, and when children extreme in their physiolog ic reactions were considered. Only among girls was physiologic reactivity m oderately associated with concurrent negative expressiveness. lit the secon d study, 4- and 5-year-olds' physiologic reactivity was examined as a predi ctor of later overt emotional reaction to venipuncture episodes. Children's overt emotional reactions were consistent across repeated venipunctures, a nd girls were more visibly distressed than boys. As in the first study, phy siologic reactivity was generally unrelated to children's behavioral respon ses. Findings have implications for assumptions about the degree of couplin g between biological and behavioral emotional systems in childhood. (C) 200 0 John Wiley & Sons, inc.