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Abstract The behavioral and neural responses to social exclusion were examined in women randomized to four conditions, varying in levels of attractiveness and friendliness. Informed by evolutionary theory, we predicted that being socially excluded by attractive unfriendly women would be more distressing than being excluded by unattractive women, irrespective of their friendliness level. Our results contradicted most of our predictions but provide important insights into women’s responses to interpersonal conflict. Accounting for rejection sensitivity, P300 event-related potential amplitudes were largest when women were excluded by unattractive unfriendly women. This may be due to an expectancy violation or an annoyance with being excluded by women low on social desirability. An examination of anger rumination rates by condition suggests the latter. Only attractive women’s attractiveness ratings were lowered in the unfriendly condition, indicating they were specifically punished for their exclusionary behavior. Women were more likely to select attractive women to compete against with one exception—they selected the Black attractive opponent less often than the White attractive opponent when presented as unfriendly. Finally, consistent with studies on retaliation in relation to social exclusion, women tended to rate competitors who rejected them as being more rude, more competitive, less attractive, less nice, and less happy than non-competitors. The ubiquity of social exclusion and its pointed emotional and physiological impact on women demands more research on this topic.

Abstract. Introduction:. Toddlers rely on their caregivers for regulatory support when faced with pain-related distress. The caregiver's ability to support their toddler relies on their capacity to regulate their own distress and respond effectively to the child's need for support. The aim of the current study was to describe patterns of caregiver–toddler physiological co-regulatory patterns, also known as attunement, during routine vaccinations across the second year of life. Methods:. Caregiver–toddler dyads (N = 189) were part of a longitudinal cohort observed at either 12-, 18-, or 24-month well-baby vaccinations. Parallel-process growth-mixture modeling was used to examine patterns of dyadic physiological co-regulatory responses, indexed by high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV). Results:. Three groups of dyads were discerned. The largest group (approximately 80%) demonstrated physiological attunement, with a stable and parallel regulatory pattern of HF-HRV from baseline to postneedle. The second group (7.9%) had parallel regulatory trajectories but with notably lower (ie, less regulated) HF-HRV values, which indicates independent regulatory responses (ie, a lack of attunement among dyad members). The third group (11.1%) showed diverging regulatory trajectories: Caregivers showed a stable regulatory trajectory, but toddlers demonstrated a steep decrease followed by an increase in HF-HRV values that surpassed their baseline levels by the third minute postneedle. Post hoc analyses with the HF-HRV groupings explored heart rate patterns and potential predictors. Conclusions:. These findings elucidate potential adaptive and maladaptive co-regulatory parasympathetic patterns in an acute pain context.

Background: Although the effects of maternal behavior on the development of child emotion characteristics is relatively well-established, effects of infant characteristics on maternal emotion development are less well known. This gap in knowledge persists despite repeated calls for including child-to-mother effects in studies of emotion. We tested the theory-based postulate that infant temperamental negativity moderates longitudinal trajectories of mothers’ perinatal symptoms of anxiety and depression. Method: Participants were 92 pregnant community women who enrolled in a longitudinal study of maternal mental health; symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and again at infant age 4 months. A multimethod assessment of infants’ temperament-based negative reactivity was conducted at infant age 4 months. Results: Maternal symptoms of anxiety showed smaller postnatal declines when levels of infant negativity were high. Mother rated and observed infant negative reactivity was related to smaller postnatal declines in maternal anxiety, while infant negative reactivity, at the level of neuroendocrine function, was largely unrelated to longitudinal changes in maternal anxiety symptoms. Infant negativity was related to early levels, but largely unrelated to trajectories of maternal symptoms of depression. Limitations: Limitations of this work include a relatively small and low-risk sample size, the inability to isolate environmental effects, and a nonexperimental design that precludes causal inference. Conclusions: Findings suggest that levels of infant negativity are associated with differences in the degree of change in maternal anxiety symptoms across the perinatal period.

Abstract Background The majority of research examining emotional difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prior to age 2 relies on parent report. Methods We examined behavioral responses (affect and gaze) during emotionally salient tasks designed to elicit mildly positive and negative emotional states in infants. At 12 and 18 months, infants at an increased likelihood for an ASD diagnosis (IL; have an older sibling with ASD; n = 60) and low likelihood (LL; no family history of ASD; n = 21) completed the Emotion-Evoking (EE) Task and parents completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R). All children received an Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale—second Edition assessment for ASD symptomatology at 24 months. Results The main findings were (1) the IL group displayed higher rates of negative affect and spent less time looking at the task objects compared to the LL group, and (2) affect and gaze scores at 12 and 18 months, but not scores on the IBQ-R, predicted ASD symptoms at 24 months. Limitations The data were drawn from an IL sample and may not be generalizable to the general ASD population, and the children were not followed to determine a diagnosis of ASD. Conclusion These results suggest that behavioral responses can provide important information that complements parent reports of emotional regulation in IL infants as early as 12 months of age.

Although preoperative anxiety affects up to 75% of children undergoing surgery each year and is associated with many adverse outcomes, we know relatively little about individual differences in how children respond to impending surgery. We examined whether patterns of anterior brain electrical activity (i.e., a neural correlate of anxious arousal) moderated the relation between children’s shyness and preoperative anxiety on the day of surgery in 70 children (36 girls, Mage = 10.4 years, SDage = 1.7, years, range 8 to 13 years) undergoing elective surgery. Shyness was assessed using self-report approximately 1 week prior to surgery during a preoperative visit (Time 1), preoperative anxiety was assessed using self-report, and regional EEG (left and right frontal and temporal sites) was assessed using a dry sensory EEG headband on the day of surgery (Time 2). We found that overall frontal EEG alpha power moderated the relation between shyness and self-reported preoperative anxiety. Shyness was related to higher levels of self-reported anxiety on the day of surgery for children with lower average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., higher cortical activity) but not for children with higher average overall frontal alpha EEG power (i.e., lower cortical activity). These results suggest that the pattern of frontal brain activity might amplify some shy children’s affective responses to impending surgery. Findings also extend prior results linking children’s shyness, frontal brain activity, and anxiety observed in the laboratory to a real-world, ecologically salient environment.

Shyness is typically associated with avoidant social behavior and restricted affect in new social situations. However, we know considerably less about how one child's shyness influences another child's behavior and affect in new social situations. Children's shyness was parent-reported when children were age 3 (N = 105, 52 girls, M[subscript age] = 3.50 years), and children were tested approximately 1 year later (M[subscript age] = 4.76 years) in same-gender dyads where they were asked to give an impromptu speech about their most recent birthday in front of an experimenter and the other member of the dyad. We examined whether children's shyness and speech order influenced their own and their social partner's observed behavior and affect during the speech. Regardless of speech order, children's own shyness was positively associated with their own avoidant social behavior and gaze aversion. Regardless of shyness, children who gave their speech second averted their gaze more than children who gave their speech first. We also found that children who gave their speech second displayed less positive affect if their social partner who they watched give the speech first was shyer. We speculate that some 4-year-old children may be sensitive to the avoidant behaviors of their shy peers and, in turn, respond with less animation when it is their turn to participate in the same activity.

Background: Nearly 20% of children and adolescents have pain with disability 1 year after surgery, and they experience poor sleep, school absence, and decreased activities. Negative clinical, psychological, and developmental effects include greater pain medication use, longer recovery, and fear of future medical care. Research has found psychological and family influences (i.e., child and parental anxiety) on pediatric chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), but a better understanding of the role of perioperative anxiety and its related states in predicting pediatric postsurgical pain is needed. The poor understanding of the causes of child CPSP can lead to misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment, with significant short- and long-term effects. Objectives: The aim of this review was to summarize the literature on children’s perioperative anxiety and parental anxiety in relation to acute postsurgical pain, CPSP, and pain trajectories. We also examined other related psychological factors (i.e., anxiety sensitivity, catastrophizing, pain anxiety, and fear of pain) in relation to pediatric acute and chronic postsurgical pain. Lastly, we discuss the interventions that may be effective in reducing children’s and parents’ preoperative anxiety. Conclusions: Our findings may improve the understanding of the causes of CPSP and highlight the gaps in research and need for further study.

We propose three practical suggestions that might be used in tandem to help address enduring replication challenges: (1) a methodology checklist to increase awareness of potentially overlooked variables and scaffold the design of replication attempts, (2) a means of facilitating visual side-by-side comparisons of reference and replication methodologies to increase replication fidelity, and (3) a broader methodology fidelity rating system to capture the nuance associated with direct replication. Incorporating these suggestions into replication efforts could facilitate improved coordination of multi-site replication attempts and offer a standardized means of assessing methodological fidelity for replication submissions and data review.

Abstract Background Borderline personality disorder (BPD) in adolescent samples is similar to BPD in adults concerning clinical characteristics. A notable difference is that adolescents with BPD – and adolescents in general – are more likely than adults to present with acute symptoms such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behaviours. BPD is the only disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual- 5th Edition that includes a criterion of NSSI. Additionally, NSSI is purported to be a developmental precursor of BPD under the biosocial developmental model. Though much cross-sectional data have illustrated the robust association of adolescent NSSI and BPD, no review to date has summarized the longitudinal associations between these phenomena. The aim of this literature review was to summarize what is known about the longitudinal associations between adolescent NSSI and BPD symptoms. Information on the developmental course of NSSI in relation to BPD would be helpful to clinicians, as the rate of NSSI is high in adolescent populations, and research indicates early, possibly BPD-specific interventions are imperative. Methods A literature search was conducted using Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases and cited reference searches. Criteria included studies of adolescents (age ≤ 18 at baseline) from either epidemiological or clinical samples, incorporating a longitudinal design, with predictors and outcomes of interest, including both NSSI and BPD diagnosis/symptoms/traits. Results Six independent samples were identified that matched our search criteria. The articles were grouped and reported on separately by population type (epidemiological vs. clinical), and directionality of relations. We identified two epidemiological and four clinical samples. Five samples examined the longitudinal associations of NSSI preceding BPD, three samples measured BPD in adolescence (baseline age ≤ 18), and two of those samples measured BPD at baseline. Both epidemiological studies revealed significant longitudinal associations between NSSI and later BPD/BPD symptoms; however, they differed notably in their methodologies hindering data synthesis across studies. In the clinical studies, findings of the association or predictive relations were not consistent. This is potentially due to differing methodologies, or differences in treatment effectiveness and responsiveness across the samples. Conclusions This review highlights the paucity of data that are available examining the longitudinal association between NSSI and BPD within adolescent samples. Thus, it is not possible to reliably comment on how NSSI and BPD are related over time. Future studies will benefit from the measurement of BPD symptoms in very early adolescence, and concurrent measurement of NSSI as well as other forms of suicidal behaviours across adolescence.

Abnormal colonic motility may be associated with dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Our aim was to evaluate if associations between colonic motor patterns and autonomic neural activity could be demonstrated by assessing changes in heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy volunteers. A total of 145 colonic motor patterns were assessed in 11 healthy volunteers by High-Resolution Colonic Manometry (HRCM) using an 84-channel water-perfused catheter. Motor patterns were evoked by balloon distention, a meal and luminal bisacodyl. The electrocardiogram (ECG) and cardiac impedance were assessed during colonic manometry. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and root mean square of successive differences of beat-to-beat intervals (RMSSD) served as measures of parasympathetic reactivity while the Baevsky’s Stress Index (SI) and the pre-ejection period (PEP) were used as measures of sympathetic reactivity. Taking all motor patterns into account, our data show that colonic motor patterns are accompanied by increased parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity that may occur without eliciting a significant change in heart rate. Motor Complexes (more than one motor pattern occurring in close proximity), High-Amplitude Propagating Pressure Waves followed by Simultaneous Pressure Waves (HAPW-SPWs) and HAPWs without SPWs are all associated with an increase in RSA and a decrease in SI. Hence RSA and SI may best reflect autonomic activity in the colon during these motor patterns as compared to RMSSD and PEP. SI and PEP do not measure identical sympathetic reactivity. The SPW, which is a very low amplitude pressure wave, did not significantly change the autonomic measures employed here. In conclusion, colonic motor patterns are associated with activity in the ANS which is reflected in autonomic measures of heart rate variability. These autonomic measures may serve as proxies for autonomic neural dysfunction in patients with colonic dysmotility.

The risk potentiation model of cognitive control posits that inhibitory control heightens children's risk for problematic outcomes in the context of shyness because it limits shy children's ability to engage flexibly with their environment. Although there is empirical support for the risk potentiation model, most studies have been restricted to parent report of children's outcomes and do not consider the influence of shyness and inhibitory control on other children's social behavior. In the present study, we used an actor-partner interdependence model to examine whether shyness and inhibitory control at Time 1 (N = 105, 52 girls, M[subscript age] = 3.50 years; 87% White; M[subscript income] = between $75,000 and $100,000 in Canadian dollars) predicted children's own and their partner's observed social behavior with an unfamiliar peer at Time 2 (M[subscript age] = 4.76 years). When the child's own inhibitory control was high, the child's own shyness was negatively associated with their own approach behaviors but negatively associated with their partner's avoidance behaviors. However, when the child's own inhibitory control was low, the child's own shyness was unrelated to their own approach behaviors but positively associated with their partner's avoidance behaviors. Although inhibitory control was negatively associated with approach-related behavior for some shy children, this did not translate to more avoidance from the social partner. These results highlight the importance of examining the child's own behavior in addition to their partner's behavior when considering children's socioemotional development.

Background. Cardiovascular indices of pain are pervasive in the hospital setting. However, no prospective research has examined the development of cardiac responses to acutely painful procedures in the first year of life. Objectives. Our main goal was to synthesize existing evidence regarding the development of cardiovascular responses to acutely painful medical procedures over the first year of life in preterm and term born infants. Methods. A systematic search retrieved 6994 articles to review against inclusion criteria. A total of 41 studies were included in the review. Results. In response to acutely painful procedures, most infants had an increase in mean heart rate (HR) that varied in magnitude both across and within gestational and postnatal ages. Research in the area of HR variability has been inconsistent, limiting conclusions. Conclusions. Longitudinal research is needed to further understand the inherent variability of cardiovascular pain responses across and within gestational and postnatal ages and the causes for the variability.

Previous studies have shown that the resting electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha patterns of nonclinical participants who score high on measures of negative affect, such as depression and shyness, are different from those who score low. However, we know relatively little about patterns of resting EEG alpha patterns in a nonclinical sample of individuals with high levels of obsessive-compulsive behaviors indicative of OCD. Here we measured resting EEG alpha activity in frontal and parietal regions of nonclinical participants who scored high and low on the Padua-R, a measure of the severity of OCD-related behaviors. We found that participants who scored high on the Padua-R exhibited decreased overall activity in frontal regions relative to individuals who scored low on the measure. We speculate that frontal hypoactivity may be a possible marker and/or index of risk for OCD.

Although regional alpha power and asymmetry measures have been widely used as indices of individual differences in emotional processing and affective style in younger populations, there have been relatively few studies that have examined these measures in older adults. Here, we examined the short-term test–retest reliability of resting regional alpha power (7.5 to 12.5 Hz) and asymmetry in a sample of 38 active, community-dwelling older adults (M age = 71.2, SD = 6.5 years). Resting EEG recordings were made before and after a perceptual computer task. Pearson and intra-class correlations indicated acceptable test-retest reliability for alpha power and asymmetry measures in all regions. Interestingly, alpha asymmetry appeared to be less affected by the task than was alpha power. Findings suggest that alpha asymmetry may reflect more enduring, trait-like characteristics, while alpha power may reflect more state-like processes in older adults.

Autonomic functioning is altered in infants born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; 2500 g). HF in the smallest-born ELBW participants was significantly lower than in NBW controls. In both groups, greater birth weight was associated with higher HF. Among ELBW survivors, lower birth weight predicted faster heart rate and higher DBP, but neither heart rate nor DBP appeared to be well-coordinated with baroreflex activity (LF), the principal mechanism for short-term blood pressure regulation. Adult autonomic regulation may be significantly altered in those born extremely preterm.

Background . Adults born extremely preterm appear to have more difficulty managing the stresses of early adulthood than their term-born peers. Objective . To examine the effects of being born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; birth weight < 1000 g) versus at full term on cardiovascular responses to stress. Method . Cardiovascular responses were elicited during administration of a widely used laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Results . Term-born adults exhibited a larger decrease in total peripheral resistance and larger increase in cardiac output for TSST performance, reflecting greater resilience, than did ELBW adults. Furthermore, in ELBW participants but not controls, cardiovascular responses were correlated with anxiety, suggesting that their responses reflected feelings of stress. Conclusions . Skills-training and practice with relevant stressors may be necessary to increase the personal resources of ELBW participants for managing stress as they transition to adulthood.

Shyness and sociability are two fundamental personality dimensions that are conceptually and empirically orthogonal and are conserved across cultures, development, and phylogeny. However, we know relatively little regarding how shyness and sociability are represented and maintained in the brain. Here we examined neural responses to the processing of different types of social threat using event-related fMRI, the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR), and sociability in young adults selected for high and low shyness. Shy adults who exhibited a relatively higher CAR displayed neural activity in putative brain regions involved in emotional conflict and awareness, and were more sociable. In contrast, shy adults who displayed a relatively lower CAR exhibited neural activity in putative brain regions linked to fear and withdrawal, and were unsociable. Results revealed no systematic brain responses to social threat processing that correlated with the CAR in nonshy adults. These preliminary results suggest that individual differences in waking morning cortisol levels may influence neural processes that facilitate either social approach or withdrawal among people who are shy. Findings are discussed in relation to their theoretical and clinical implications for moving beyond longstanding descriptive to explanatory models of shyness and sociability and for understanding individual differences in social behavior in general.

Poor executive function (EF) has been linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW; < 1000 grams) have been found to show both poor EF, as well as elevated levels of symptoms of ADHD. In the present study, we examined whether fluid intelligence moderates the link between birth weight and later ADHD symptoms by prospectively following a cohort of 179 survivors who were born at ELBW. When participants were 8 years-old, they were matched with 145 normal birth weight (NBW; ≥ 2500 grams) control participants. At age 8, fluid intelligence was measured, and during young adulthood (ages 22-26), participants’ self-reported levels of ADHD symptoms were examined. We found that ELBW survivors, who also showed poor fluid intelligence, had the highest rates of ADHD symptoms, and particularly, symptoms of inattention. These findings point to the importance of examining developmental trajectories that contribute to risk for psychopathology in those exposed to intrauterine adversity.