This paper reviews the extensive research examining developmental patterns in normal fear. Areas of focus include age, gender, and socioeconomic status differences in fear content, prevalence, and intensity. The structure and stability/duration of normal fears are also discussed. Finally, the crosscultural research in this area is reviewed. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies indicate that fear decreases in prevalence and intensity with age. There are also major changes in the content of normal fear over the course of development. Such changes are characterised by a transition from infant fears which are related to immediate, concrete, and prepotent stimuli, and which are largely noncognitive, to fears of late childhood and adolescence which are related to anticipatory, abstract, and more global stimuli and events. Fears of late childhood and adolescence are also more cognitive. One of the prominent themes during these years is social evaluation. It is noteworthy that fears have been demonstrated to be largely transitory in nature, decreasing significantly in number and intensity over time and with maturation. Future research into normal fear should more closely examine the validity of current assessment techniques. There is also a need for research into the developmental correlates of fear, including individual differences and affective environmental experiences. In particular, research examining the correlates of normal fear within a developmental psychopathology framework is recommended.
Developmental changes in the structure of the social brain in late childhood and adolescence