Stability of behaviorally induced heart-rate changes in children after one week

Child Dev. 1981 Jun;52(2):533-7.

Abstract

Examining the stability of individual differences in behaviorally induced heart-rate reactivity in children, 34 boys having a mean age of 101.9 months were presented a cognitive task to perform "as rapidly and accurately as possible" at each of 2 experimental sessions scheduled 1 week apart, and recordings of heart rate were obtained during periods of rest and task performance on each occasion of testing. Task-related heart-rate reactivity across the 2 experimental sessions revealed substantial and highly reproducible individual differences, as evidenced (1) by subsets of subjects representing clearly differentiated groups of heart-rate reactors and non-reactors, and (2) by correlation of subjects' mean heart-rate responses between the first and second sessions. Individual differences in heart-rate reactivity were independent of subjects' task performance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Concept Formation / physiology*
  • Heart Rate*
  • Humans
  • Male