Investigating Coping Processes and Psychophysiological Responses to Uncertainty in Eleven‐Year‐Old Children
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9685982 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gazanfer Anlı (0000-0002-6141-7964, Bursa Teknik Üniversitesi ‐ Yıldırım Yerleşkesi, Psikoloji Bölümü Bursa Türkiye, corresponding author), Muhammed Alkın Yalçın (0000-0003-0782-7863, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Bursa Türkiye) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | e70130-e70130 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Developmental Psychobiology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-1630 • E-ISSN: 1098-2302 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/dev.70130 |
| PMID | 41645567 |
| OpenAlex | W7127986789 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 54 |
This experimental study investigated the cognitive, behavioral, and physiological responses of 11‐year‐old children when confronted with uncertainty. Using a reward‐feedback‐based simulation, participants engaged in decision‐making tasks involving ambiguous outcomes while their heart rate, decision time, hesitation behavior, and verbalized thought processes were systematically recorded. Findings demonstrated that uncertainty led to increased physiological arousal, longer decision times, greater hesitation, and lower decision accuracy. Regression analysis revealed hesitation as the strongest predictor of physiological arousal (BPM difference), whereas decision time and accuracy were not significant. Notably, participants’ dominant task value orientation—classified according to the situated expectancy‐value theory (SEVT)—significantly influenced both physiological and cognitive outcomes. Children with utility‐driven motivation exhibited the highest decision accuracy and lowest physiological stress, whereas those motivated by perceived cost showed the opposite pattern. These results provide empirical support for behavioral and physiological responses associated with uncertainty and highlight the importance of developmentally tailored interventions in educational settings. Implications for psychoeducational program design incorporating neurophysiological and technological tools such as EEG, VR, and eye‐tracking are discussed
Arousal · Cognition · Cognitive appraisal · Coping (psychology) · Empirical research · Neurophysiology · Psychological intervention · Psychophysiology · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Increasingly certain about uncertainty
Decision by sampling
Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early adulthood
Into the unknown
The Relationship Between Uncertainty and Affect
Uncertainty, stress, and health
Emotion, Decision Making and the Orbitofrontal Cortex
The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit‐formation
Motivational Beliefs, Values, and Goals
From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory
Interrater reliability
Pervasive Uncertainty under Threat
The feeling of uncertainty intensifies affective reactions
Cardiac psychophysiology and autonomic space in humans
Tolerance of uncertainty
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |