Attention to Threat-Related Faces in Preschool-Aged Children and Associations with Fearful Temperament
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| Title: | Attention to Threat-Related Faces in Preschool-Aged Children and Associations with Fearful Temperament |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Julia R. Moses (ORCID |
| Source: | Social Development. 2025 34(3). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 11 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Preschool Children, Fear, Attention, Eye Movements, Psychological Patterns, Personality |
| DOI: | 10.1111/sode.12810 |
| ISSN: | 0961-205X 1467-9507 |
| Abstract: | The allocation of attention to threatening stimuli is an evolutionarily salient aspect of development; however, different factors such as clinical symptomology and temperamental traits may relate to alterations in these attentional patterns. The current study used eye-tracking to investigate the attentional patterns of 60 preschool-aged children (M[subscript age] = 48.3 months, SD = 10.4 months) as they viewed images of emotional faces, including both threat-related expressions (angry, fearful) and nonthreat-related expressions (happy, sad, neutral). Areas of interest were created for the eyes and mouth of all faces. The Children's Behavior Questionnaire was used to assess children's temperament, focusing on the Fearfulness subscale as it might relate to attentional patterns to threat-related faces. Overall, results indicated differential attention based on the emotion being viewed, with both longer fixations and an increased number of fixations toward the fearful mouth as compared to angry. Correlational results showed that for attention to the angry face and eyes, children higher on temperamental fearfulness exhibited both shorter average fixation lengths and a greater number of fixations. These findings suggest that temperamental fearfulness might influence attention to threat-related faces. This topic is important to explore because altered social attention may continue to reinforce fearfulness in those higher on this temperamental trait, and this in turn could give the child a higher likelihood of developing difficulties later in life. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1478564 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: EJ1478564 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Attention to Threat-Related Faces in Preschool-Aged Children and Associations with Fearful Temperament – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Julia+R%2E+Moses%22">Julia R. Moses</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1280-5669">0000-0003-1280-5669</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Aviva+Lehrfield%22">Aviva Lehrfield</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Adriana+Lupo%22">Adriana Lupo</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Natalia+Fraczek%22">Natalia Fraczek</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jennifer+B%2E+Wagner%22">Jennifer B. Wagner</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8174-0534">0000-0001-8174-0534</externalLink>) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Social+Development%22"><i>Social Development</i></searchLink>. 2025 34(3). – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 11 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preschool+Children%22">Preschool Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Fear%22">Fear</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attention%22">Attention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eye+Movements%22">Eye Movements</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+Patterns%22">Psychological Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Personality%22">Personality</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1111/sode.12810 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0961-205X<br />1467-9507 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The allocation of attention to threatening stimuli is an evolutionarily salient aspect of development; however, different factors such as clinical symptomology and temperamental traits may relate to alterations in these attentional patterns. The current study used eye-tracking to investigate the attentional patterns of 60 preschool-aged children (M[subscript age] = 48.3 months, SD = 10.4 months) as they viewed images of emotional faces, including both threat-related expressions (angry, fearful) and nonthreat-related expressions (happy, sad, neutral). Areas of interest were created for the eyes and mouth of all faces. The Children's Behavior Questionnaire was used to assess children's temperament, focusing on the Fearfulness subscale as it might relate to attentional patterns to threat-related faces. Overall, results indicated differential attention based on the emotion being viewed, with both longer fixations and an increased number of fixations toward the fearful mouth as compared to angry. Correlational results showed that for attention to the angry face and eyes, children higher on temperamental fearfulness exhibited both shorter average fixation lengths and a greater number of fixations. These findings suggest that temperamental fearfulness might influence attention to threat-related faces. This topic is important to explore because altered social attention may continue to reinforce fearfulness in those higher on this temperamental trait, and this in turn could give the child a higher likelihood of developing difficulties later in life. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1478564 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1478564 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/sode.12810 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 11 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Preschool Children Type: general – SubjectFull: Fear Type: general – SubjectFull: Attention Type: general – SubjectFull: Eye Movements Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological Patterns Type: general – SubjectFull: Personality Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Attention to Threat-Related Faces in Preschool-Aged Children and Associations with Fearful Temperament Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Julia R. Moses – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Aviva Lehrfield – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Adriana Lupo – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Natalia Fraczek – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Jennifer B. Wagner IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 08 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0961-205X – Type: issn-electronic Value: 1467-9507 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 34 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Social Development Type: main |
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