The relationship between the type of cardiac regulation and the components of social intelligence in schoolchildren

Abstract

The article presents the results of a pilot study investigating features of social intelligence (SI) and its connection with the type of cardiac rhythm regulation in schoolchildren. Currently, there is evidence that informational overload and increase in psychological stress associated with the learning process lead to stress in the functional systems of the body. At the same time, training success depends on the blood flow rate in the brain, which in turn depends on the characteristics of the cardiac output. It is known that the regulation of cardiac output is carried out by autonomous and central circuits, the activity of which can be marked by indicators of cardiac rhythm variability. The central regulation loop includes mechanisms of control from the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. It is also the cerebral cortex that determines the characteristics of susceptibility to social influence. Studies show that modulation of control over the results of activities leading to changes in behaviour is associated with susceptibility to social influence. In turn, success of interpersonal interaction and adaptation to social reality depend on social intelligence. In this regard, it is suggested that schoolchildren with different levels of social intelligence development will exhibit different characteristics of cardiac rhythm variability, as well as that the type of cardiac regulation can be associated with the characteristics of both social intelligence and its components. The current research involved 54 schoolchildren. Assessment of their social intelligence development was administered using the Guildford Social Intelligence Test, adapted by E. S. Mikhailova (Mikhailova 2007). Evaluation of the cardiac regulation type was carried out on the basis of cardiac rhythm variability analysis. The results of the study suggest that type III cardiac regulation prevails among schoolchildren (54.9%), which indicates the optimal state of regulatory systems. Reliable differences of such a SI component as the “factor of cognition of behavioral classes — СВС” were revealed in students with type I and type III cardiac regulation. It is suggested that there is a connection between the components of social intelligence and the indicators of the cardiac rhythm variability in schoolchildren.