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ORG FEEDBACK HELP LIBRARIANS ADVANCED GUEST ALERTS ACCESS RIGHTS MY ACCOUNT SIGN IN News Science Journals Careers Communities Multimedia Topics Subscribe Science HomeCurrent IssuePrevious IssuesScience ExpressScience ProductsMy ScienceAbout the Journal Home > Science Magazine > 8 April 1988 > Kagan et al., 240 (4849): 167-171 Prev | Table of Contents | Next Science 8 April 1988: Vol. 240 no. 4849 pp. 167-171 DOI: 10.1126/science.3353713 Biological bases of childhood shyness J Kagan, JS Reznick, N Snidman + Author Affiliations Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138. ABSTRACT The initial behavioral reaction to unfamiliar events is a distinctive source of intraspecific variation in humans and other animals. Two longitudinal studies of 2-year-old children who were extreme in the display of either behavioral restraint or spontaneity in unfamiliar contexts revealed that by 7 years of age a majority of the restrained group were quiet and socially avoidant with unfamiliar children and adults whereas a majority of the more spontaneous children were talkative and interactive. The group differences in peripheral physiological reactions suggest that inherited variation in the threshold of arousal in selected limbic sites may contribute to shyness in childhood and even extreme degrees of social avoidance in adults. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES: Neural mechanisms underlying heterogeneity in the presentation of anxious temperament Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 9 April 2013: 6145-6150. AbstractFull TextFull Text (PDF) Central amygdala nucleus (Ce) gene expression linked to increased trait-like Ce metabolism and anxious temperament in young primates Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 30 October 2012: 18108-18113. AbstractFull TextFull Text (PDF) Sensory Processing Sensitivity: A Review in the Light of the Evolution of Biological Responsivity Pers Soc Psychol Rev 1 August 2012: 262-282.

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Defensive behaviors in infant rhesus monkeys: environmental cues and neurochemical regulation Science 31 March 1989: 1718-1721. AbstractFull Text (PDF) Article Views Abstract References Full Text (PDF) Article Tools Save to My Folders Download Citation Alert Me When Article is Cited Post to CiteULike E-mail This Page Rights & Permissions Commercial Reprints and E-Prints View PubMed Citation Related Content Similar Articles In: Science Magazine PubMed Search Google Scholar for: Articles by Kagan, J. Articles by Snidman, N. Search PubMed for: Articles by Kagan, J. Articles by Snidman, N. Find Citing Articles in: Web of Science (854) HighWire Press CrossRef Google Scholar My Science My Folders My Alerts My Saved Searches Sign In ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT To Advertise Find Products Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)

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