Psychological Development and Education ›› 2018, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (1): 1-9.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2018.01.01

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Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia is Associated with Emotional Reactivity, Emotion Regulation and Impulsivity in Preschooler

ZHANG Runzhu, ZHAO Yimeng, QIN Rongcai, WANG Zhenhong   

  1. School of Psychology, Shanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
  • Online:2018-01-15 Published:2018-01-15

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Abstract: Polyvagal theory and previous researches both provided clues to the close relationship between vagal tone, vagal regulation and emotional reactivity and regulation of children. But as yet, there is no direct evidence that the vagal tone, vagal regulation related to children's emotional activity and regulation. By neurophysiological measurement and children's parent reporting questionnaire method, this study investigated the baseline cardiac vagal tone, indexed by baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), vagal suppression during stress task, indexed by RSA withdrawal, and vagal recovery after stress task, indexed by RSA recovery in relation to emotional reactivity, emotion regulation and trait impulsivity in 93 children aged 4-6. Results indicated that (1) baseline RSA was significantly negatively correlated with children's emotional reactivity but positively correlated with children's ability of emotion regulation. Baseline RSA was a significant negative predictor to emotional reactivity and a positive expectation for emotion regulation. (2) RSA withdrawal and RSA recovery both significantly negatively correlated with level of children's impulsivity and also a significant negative predictive factor to impulsiveness. This study provided some evidences to the hypothesis proposed by polyvagal theory that both cardiac vagal tone and its regulation are physiological basis of children's emotion activity and regulation.

Key words: vagal activity, emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, impulsivity, RSA, preschooler

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