Elucidating the mechanisms of parent-infant nonverbal communication through hug measurement

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12580
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90030:Cognitive science-related
• Research Institution: Toho University
• Principal Investigator: Sachine YOSHIDA 東邦大学, 医学部, 講師 (90513458)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 船戸 弘正 東邦大学, 医学部, 教授 (90363118)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 乳児 / 親子関係 / 体性感覚 / 心拍変動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The effects of a "hug," where parents tightly embrace their child to express joy and affection, were examined using the R-R interval (RRI) increase ratio as an indicator. RRI is the reciprocal of the heart rate, meaning that the RRI increase ratio rises when the heart rate decreases. For infants older than four months, the RRI increase ratio when hugged by their parents was higher compared to when hugged by an unfamiliar woman with sufficient childcare experience, indicating a state of relaxation. Infants younger than four months did not show this change. The parents also showed a higher RRI increase ratio when they hugged their infants compared to before the hug. These physiological changes are expected to contribute to understanding the sense of security in pre-verbal children, which has been challenging to verify scientifically, and to elucidating the essence of parent-infant nonverbal communication.

Free Research Field

発達心理学、神経生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

健康な子どもの心身発達には、親子の触れ合いが重要とされているが、触れ合いが即時的に子どもに及ぼす影響はよく分かっていなかった。本研究では代表的な親子の触れ合いであるハグを定量的に解析することで、日常の育児動作が乳児に及ぼす影響や親への愛着形成における体性感覚刺激の役割の一端を明らかにした。これまで経験則に基づくことが多かった育児や保育に、科学的根拠をもった触れ合いの在り方を提示する成果となった。