| Abstract: | Heart rate and skin resistance were recorded from male and female children five to seven years of age during the following conditions: low arousal (rest), high arousal (auditory and visual stimulation), and administration of a Word Association Test (WAT) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Children who gave a mature response pattern (paradigmatic) on the WAT tended to have lower conductance levels than immature responders. Heart rate decreased during environmental intake (high arousal), increased during environmental rejection (WAT), and was unchanged during a combined intake and rejection situation (PPVT). The skin conductance data were interpreted as being consistent with recent theories concerning the development of mature cognitive behaviors in children and the psychophysiological correlates of complex and simple behaviors. |
