Biological sensitivity to context: II. Empirical explorations of an evolutionary-developmental theory

Biological sensitivity to context: II. Empirical explorations of an evolutionary-developmental theory
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DOI:
10.1017/s0954579405050157
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发表时间:
2005-03-01
影响因子:
3.3
通讯作者:
Boyce, WT
Boyce, WT
中科院分区:
心理学2区
文献类型:
--
作者:
Ellis, BJ;Essex, MJ;Boyce, WT

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在两项涉及 249 名儿童及其家庭的研究中,作者利用二次探索性数据分析来检验博伊斯和埃利斯(本期)对环境的生物敏感性的进化发展理论。该理论提出,应激反应性的个体差异构成了对环境影响的敏感性的差异,无论是积极的还是消极的,而幼儿时期暴露于高度保护性或剧烈压力的环境会导致反应性增强。在研究 1 中,同时评估了 127 名 3 至 5 岁儿童的家庭和学前环境中的支持/逆境水平以及心血管对实验室挑战的反应。在研究 2 中,对 122 名儿童在婴儿期和学龄前的家庭压力以及 7 岁时对实验室挑战的自主神经和肾上腺皮质反应进行了前瞻性评估。在这两项研究中,不成比例的儿童在支持性、低压力环境中表现出较高的自主反应性。相反,在研究 2 中,处于压力很大的环境中的儿童中,相对较高比例的儿童表现出交感神经和肾上腺皮质反应性增强的证据。与进化发展理论一致,探索性分析还产生了可检验的假设,即童年支持/逆境水平与压力反应程度之间的关系是曲线形的,来自中等压力环境的儿童在两项研究中表现出最低的反应水平。
In two studies comprising 249 children and their families, the authors utilized secondary, exploratory data analyses to examine Boyce and Ellis' (this issue) evolutionary-developmental theory of biological sensitivity to context. The theory proposes that individual differences in stress reactivity constitute variation in susceptibility to environmental influence, both positive and negative, and that early childhood exposures to either highly protective or acutely stressful environments result in heightened reactivity. In Study 1, 127 3- to 5-year old children were concurrently assessed on levels of support/adversity in home and preschool environments and on cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory challenges. In Study 2, 122 children were prospectively assessed on familial stress in both infancy and preschool and on autonomic and adrenocortical reactivity to laboratory challenges at age 7. In both studies, a disproportionate number of children in supportive, low stress environments displayed high autonomic reactivity. Conversely, in Study 2, a relatively high proportion of children in very stressful environments showed evidence of heightened sympathetic and adrenocortical reactivity. Consistent with the evolutionary-developmental theory, the exploratory analyses also generated the testable hypothesis that relations between levels of childhood support/adversity and the magnitude of stress reactivity are curvilinear, with children from moderately stressful environments displaying the lowest reactivity levels in both studies.