Despite advances in the theoretical and empirical literature, a better understanding of the etiological determinants of callous-unemotional (CU) traits is needed. In this study, we tested the hypotheses advanced by the Sensitivity to Threat and Affiliative Reward (STAR) model, a theoretical framework, which proposes that individual differences in two temperament dimensions, fearlessness and low affiliation, jointly contribute to the development of CU traits. Specifically, we examined the unique and interactive effects of fearlessness and low affiliation on CU traits, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally and within and across informants (teachers and parents) in a large community sample of Spanish preschoolers (N = 2467, 48.1% girls, M = 4.25 years; SD = 0.91). Both fearlessness and low affiliation were independently related to higher CU traits across models. Consistent with the purported relationships outlined in the STAR model, we also found that a significant interaction between fearlessness and low affiliation explained unique variance in CU traits. The results suggested that main and interactive effects were specific to CU traits and not to other related dimensions of psychopathic traits that are measurable in early childhood (i.e. grandiose-deceitfulness and impulse need of stimulation). Thus, we provide new empirical support to the hypotheses generated by the STAR model in relation to the development of CU traits. Fearlessness and low affiliation are potential targets of future child-focused interventions to prevent or treat the development of CU traits and childhood conduct problems.

尽管理论和实证文献取得了进展，但仍需要更好地了解冷酷无情 (CU) 特征的病因决定因素。在这项研究中，我们测试了威胁敏感性和附属奖励 (STAR) 模型提出的假设，该模型提出了两个气质维度的个体差异，无畏和低附属，共同促进了 CU 特征的发展。具体而言，我们在西班牙学龄前儿童的大型社区样本（N = 2467，48.1% 女孩）中，横断面和纵向以及在线人（教师和家长）内部和之间研究了无畏和低隶属度对 CU 特征的独特和互动影响, M = 4.25 年；SD = 0.91)。无畏和低隶属度都与模型中较高的 CU 特征独立相关。与 STAR 模型中概述的所谓关系一致，我们还发现无畏和低隶属度之间的显着相互作用解释了 CU 特征的独特差异。结果表明，主要和交互作用是特定于 CU 特征的，而不是可在儿童早期测量的精神病特征的其他相关维度（即夸大欺骗和刺激的冲动需求）。因此，我们为 STAR 模型产生的与 CU 性状发展相关的假设提供了新的实证支持。无畏和低归属是未来以儿童为中心的干预措施的潜在目标，以预防或治疗 CU 特征的发展和儿童行为问题。