How does reactivity to frustrative non-reward increase risk for externalizing symptoms?
Frustration is a normative affective response with an adaptive value in motivating behavior. However, excessive anger in response to frustration characterizes multiple forms of externalizing psychopathology. How a given trait subserves both normative and pathological behavioral profiles is not entirely clear. One hypothesis is that the magnitude of response to frustration differentiates normative versus maladaptive reactivity. Disproportionate increases in arousal in response to frustration may exceed normal regulatory capacity, thus precipitating aggressive or antisocial responses. Alternatively, pathology may arise when reactivity to frustration interferes with other cognitive systems, impairing the individual's ability to respond to frustration adaptively. In this paper we examine these two hypotheses in a sample of kindergarten children. First we examine whether children with conduct problems (CP; n=105) are differentiated from comparison children (n=135) with regard to magnitude of autonomic reactivity (cardiac and electrodermal) across a task that includes a frustrative non-reward block flanked by two reward blocks. Second we examine whether cognitive processing, as reflected by magnitude of the P3b brain response, is disrupted in the context of frustrative non-reward. Results indicate no differences in skin conductance, but a greater increase in heart rate during the frustration block among children in the CP group. Additionally, the CP group was characterized by a pronounced decrement in P3b amplitude during the frustration condition compared with both reward conditions. No interaction between cardiac and P3b measures was observed, suggesting that each system independently reflects a greater sensitivity to frustration in association with externalizing symptom severity.
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Social Science Research Institute, 315 HHD East, University Park, PA 16802, United States; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Social Science Research Institute, 315 HHD East, University Park, PA 16802, United States. Electronic address: lisakopp@psu.edu.
Lisa M
LM
Gatzke-Kopp
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Social Science Research Institute, 315 HHD East, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
Cynthia J
CJ
Willner
Cape Breton University, 1250 Grand Lake Road, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6L2, Canada. Electronic address: michelle_jetha@cbu.ca.
Michelle K
MK
Jetha
The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Social Science Research Institute, 315 HHD East, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
Rachel M
RM
Abenavoli
Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Social Science Research Institute, 315 HHD East, University Park, PA 16802, United States.
David
D
DuPuis
Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada. Electronic address: sid.segalowitz@brocku.ca.
Sidney J
SJ
Segalowitz
D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012201:Reward; D012307:Risk Factors
Affective reactivity; Antisocial; Conduct problems; Motivation; P3b