The role of previous experience on children's awareness of psychogenic bodily reactions

Abstract

First- and second-graders in Tokyo (M=7 : 4, range=6 : 5-8 : 3, 20 girls, 18 boys) and their mothers participated in this study. The children did not fully accept the possibility of psychogenic bodily reactions such as tension-related stomach pains. The children's performance concerning psychogenic items was correlated with self-reported personal experiences of psychogenic bodily reactions, but not with maternal reports about the children's previous experiences. The children who reported about their previous experiences of psychogenic bodily reactions were more likely to refer to vitalistic or mechanic explanations when explaining how mental states could cause bodily reactions. Even when the mothers suggested mental problems, such as anxiety, worry, fear, or shyness, as causes for the children's previous bodily reactions, the children seldom considered psychological causes, but rather hypothesized bodily causes, such as having a cold. These results seem to suggest that many first- and second-graders do not possess a framework that allows them to contemplate psychological causes for bodily reactions.