Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 20, 1994 TAG: 9402200067
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Newsday
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO LENGTH: Short
By monitoring how the right frontal lobe of a baby's brain reacts when presented with unfamiliar faces or other stimuli, researchers find that strong reactivity in that part of the brain is associated with shyness, fearfulness and timidity.
"Infants who show a strong right-sided pattern of frontal activity in their first two years are more likely to be fearful and inhibited, and may be shy and timid as young children," said Dr. Nathan Fox, a professor of human development at the University of Maryland involved with the study.
Fox and other researchers emphasized, however, that environmental factors, such as a caring family, can alter such behavior.
by CNB