Academic Journal
Associations between social engagement and parasympathetic activity in the early childhood education classroom.
| Title: | Associations between social engagement and parasympathetic activity in the early childhood education classroom. |
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| Authors: | Holochwost SJ; Department of Psychology, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY, United States., Coffman JL; Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, United States., Westover AE; School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States., Wagner NJ; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States., Carr RC; Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States., Propper CB; School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States. |
| Source: | Child development [Child Dev] 2026 Jul 03; Vol. 97 (4), pp. 1159-1172. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Blackwell Publishers Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0372725 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1467-8624 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00093920 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Child Dev Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Malden, MA : Blackwell Publishers Original Publication: [Chicago, etc.] : Published by the University of Chicago Press for the Society for Research in Child Development [etc.] |
| MeSH Terms: | Parasympathetic Nervous System*/physiology , Social Interaction* , Peer Group* , Schools*, Humans ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Male |
| Abstract: | The current study examined associations between the quality of children's social interactions with their teachers and peers and their concurrent parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity in the early education classroom. Data were collected from 80 children (Mage = 4.91 years, 50% female, 50% White). The quality of children's social interaction with their teachers and peers was assessed across five sessions using the inCLASS while changes in children's parasympathetic activity were tracked. Analyses revealed that children increased PNS activity during sessions in which they interacted more positively with their teachers, whereas they decreased activity during sessions in which they interacted more positively with their peers. Children who interacted more positively with their peers across sessions also exhibited larger cross-session reductions in parasympathetic tone. (© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.) |
| Competing Interests: | Conflicts of interest: None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to declare. |
| Grant Information: | 5R21HD075309-02 National Institute of Child Health and Development |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: early childhood education; parasympathetic nervous system; social engagement; social interaction; vagal tone Local Abstract: [plain-language-summary] In this study, we monitored children's heart rate activity while they interacted with their teachers and peers in the preschool classroom. We were interested in how heart rate patterns may differ depending on the demands of the situation. We found patterns consistent with more calm engagement when children interacted more positively with their teachers, whereas the opposite pattern emerged when they interacted more positively with their peers. These results are consistent with theories suggesting that positive interaction with a supportive adult will elicit a state of calm engagement, but that during moderately challenging situations—such as maintaining positive social engagement with a fellow preschooler—heart rate activity may change in order to help children deal with that challenge. |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260326 Date Completed: 20260703 Latest Revision: 20260703 |
| Update Code: | 20260704 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/chidev/aacag039 |
| PMID: | 41885588 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1467-8624 |
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| DOI: | 10.1093/chidev/aacag039 |