Low emotional responsiveness is considered a core feature of callous–unemotional (CU) traits in childhood and, in the context of antisocial behavior, a precursor of psychopathic traits in adulthood. However, recent findings suggest that CU traits are not always characterized by low emotional responsiveness and the evidence base requires review. This review asks a fundamental question— ‘Is callous always cold?’—with a specific focus on emotional responsiveness and CU traits in children with conduct problems (CPs). PRISMA review protocols were followed to identify literature reporting on emotional responsiveness for children 3–18 years with CPs and varying (high and low) CU traits. Results from eligible studies were contrasted by age (children 3–11 years, adolescents 12–18 years), emotional responsive measurement type (physiological, behavioral, self-report), emotion-eliciting stimuli type (interactive activities, static imagery, film) and socio-emotional context of the stimuli (other-orientated, self-orientated, neutral). This review highlights considerable variation in results across studies: reduced emotional responsiveness was not synonymous with participants demonstrating high CU traits. A more consistent picture of reduced emotional responsiveness in participants with high CU traits was found when studies used physiological measures, when stimuli were other-orientated in socio-emotional context, and in older, adolescent samples. In conclusion, this paper advocates for a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between high CU traits and the specific factors involved in emotional responsiveness, ultimately suggesting that callous is not always cold. Given that emotional responsiveness is central to theories of moral development, these findings may suggest innovative approaches to early intervention.

中文翻译：

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冷酷无情总是冷吗？对儿童情感和冷酷无情特质发展的文献进行批判性回顾

低情绪反应被认为是童年时期冷酷无情（CU）特征的核心特征，并且在反社会行为的背景下，是成年期精神病特征的前兆。然而，最近的研究结果表明，CU 特征并不总是以低情绪反应为特征，并且证据基础需要审查。这篇综述提出了一个基本问题——“冷酷无情总是冷酷的吗？”——特别关注有品行问题 (CP) 的儿童的情绪反应和 CU 特征。遵循 PRISMA 审查协议来确定关于 3-18 岁 CP 和不同（高和低）CU 特征的儿童情绪反应的文献报告。符合条件的研究结果按年龄（3-11 岁儿童、12-18 岁青少年）、情绪反应测量类型（生理、行为、自我报告）、引发情绪的刺激类型（互动活动、静态图像、电影）和刺激的社会情绪背景（其他导向、自我导向、中性）。这篇综述强调了不同研究结果的巨大差异：情绪反应降低并不是参与者表现出高 CU 特征的同义词。当研究使用生理测量时，当刺激在社会情感环境中以其他为导向时，以及在年龄较大的青少年样本中，发现具有高 CU 特征的参与者的情绪反应降低的更一致的图片。总之，本文主张对高 CU 特征与情绪反应所涉及的特定因素之间的关系进行更细致的理解，最终表明冷酷并不总是冷酷的。