Does Brief Bradycardia at the Onset of Arm-Restraint Predict Infants' Emotional Reactivity During Restraint?

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
Christin L Porter, Blake L Jones

Abstract

Using electrocardiogram data with 78 six-month-old infants, this study examined the presence or absence of brief orienting bradycardia during the onset of maternal arm-restraint and subsequent differences between infants on behavioral organization during restraint. Results showed that 45 of the infants exhibited brief episodes of bradycardia at the onset of arm-restraint. Group comparisons showed infants exhibiting bradycardia to have greater emotional reactivity during the arm-restraint protocol, which included a shorter latency to cry, decreased orientation toward mother, increased escape attempts during restraint, greater intensity of crying, and longer duration of crying than non-bradycardiac infants. These findings suggest that bradycardia at the outset of a mild perturbation episode may signal infants' attention to the emotional content of novel dyadic interactions and the disruption of expectancies in ongoing interactions, leading them to become distressed more quickly, turn their attention away from mom, and attempt to escape the restraint with greater vigor.

References

Sep 1, 1977·Psychophysiology·G Bohlin, F K Graham
May 1, 1966·Psychological Bulletin·F K Graham, R K Clifton
Nov 1, 1993·Acta Paediatrica·S H AnderssenG W Gabrielsen
Feb 13, 2001·Journal of Affective Disorders·J F Thayer, R D Lane
May 24, 2006·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Michael LewisMargaret Wolan Sullivan
Aug 1, 2006·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·David S BennettMichael Lewis
Sep 17, 2008·Developmental Psychology·Amie Ashley HanePeter J Marshall
May 6, 2009·Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies·Christin L PorterClyde C Robinson

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Citations

Mar 18, 2015·Scientific Reports·Virginie DurierJacques Sizun

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