Father–child physiological concordance on two timescales is differentially associated with paternal characteristics

• Published in: Psychophysiology Vol. 59; no. 10; pp. e14073 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xutong, Gatzke‐Kopp, Lisa M., Chen, Meng, Cole, Pamela M., Ram, Nilam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2022
• Subjects: Arousal; cardiac arousal; Children; fathers; Heart; multilevel modeling; physiological concordance; timescales; fathers; multilevel modeling; timescales; cardiac arousal; physiological concordance
• ISSN: 0048-5772; 1469-8986; 1540-5958
• DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14073

Conceptual work on interpersonal physiology suggests that the dynamic concordance between two person's physiological arousal may transpire on multiple timescales, and the timescale on which it unfolds may determine its psychological significance. The current study tested this hypothesis in the context of parent–child interaction by examining whether the concordance in their cardiac arousal on two timescales was differentially associated with parental characteristics. Using data from 98 fathers and their 3‐ to 5‐year‐old children during a task designed to frustrate young children, results indicated that the associations between cardiac concordance and fathers' self‐reported parenting hassles emerged for the slower timescale (concordant increasing trends in arousal), whereas concordance on the faster timescale (concordant second‐by‐second reactivity) was associated with fathers' emotional clarity. Findings suggest that there may be multiple layers of concordant patterns in the dynamic associations between fathers' and children's cardiac arousal, which unfold on different timescales and bear different psychological significance. This study demonstrates that the dynamic concordance between fathers' and children's cardiac arousal unfolding on two different timescales bear different psychological significance. The findings challenge the common view of physiological concordance as a uni‐structural phenomenon and highlight the importance of considering the timescale of underlying psychological processes in developing an integrated understanding of interpersonal physiology.