Cognitive control moderates early childhood temperament in predicting social behavior in 7‐year‐old children: an ERP study

Abstract

Behavioral inhibition (BI) is a temperament associated with heightened vigilance and fear of novelty in early childhood, and social reticence and increased risk for anxiety problems later in development. However, not all behaviorally inhibited children develop signs of anxiety. One mechanism that might contribute to the variability in developmental trajectories is the recruitment of cognitive-control resources. The current study measured N2 activation, an ERP (event-related potential) associated with cognitive control, and modeled source-space activation (LORETA; Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography) at seven years of age while children performed a go/no-go task. Activation was estimated for the entire cortex and then exported for four regions of interest: ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dorsal ACC), and dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). BI was measured in early childhood (ages two and three years). Anxiety problems and social reticence were measured at seven years of age to ascertain stability of temperamental style. Results revealed that BI was associated with increased performance accuracy, longer reaction times, greater (more negative) N2 activation, and higher estimated dorsal ACC and DLPFC activation. Furthermore, early BI was only associated with social reticence at age 7 at higher (more negative) levels of N2 activation or higher estimated dorsal ACC or DLPFC activation. Results are discussed in the context of overcontrolled behavior contributing to social reticence and signs of anxiety in middle childhood.

Early Behavioral Inhibition and Increased Error Monitoring Predict Later Social Phobia Symptoms in Childhood

“…Maternal report of social fear was obtained using the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire (TBAQ; 41 ). As in previous work, measures were standardized and averaged to create a BI composite 42,43 . Combining data from different contexts, informants, and ages better reflects the child's temperament than one single measure alone.…”

Cognitive Conflict Links Behavioural Inhibition and Social Problem Solving During Social Exclusion in Childhood

“…An ERP associated with the detection of cognitive conflict (Botvinick, Braver, Barch, Carter, & Cohen, 2001; Nieuwenhuis, et al, 2003; Van Veen & Carter, 2002) is the N2, which is usually observed at medial-frontal sites 250 to 500 ms following stimulus onset (Lahat, Todd, Mahy, Lau, & Zelazo, 2009; Lamm, Zelazo, & Lewis, 2006). In a recent study (Lamm, et al, in press), N2 amplitude was larger (i.e., more negative) during a go/no-go task for children with higher BI scores. Additionally, increased N2 was associated with continuity of temperamental shyness, which is itself associated with heightened risk for anxiety symptoms (Biederman, Rosenbaum, Chaloff, & Kagan, 1995; Schwartz, Snidman, & Kagan, 1999).…”

“…Research (Lamm et al, in press; McDermott et al, 2009) suggests that neural responses to cognitive conflict and self-monitoring moderate the relations between BI and risk for psychopathology and response to stressful social situations. For example, adolescents with high childhood BI displayed enhanced Error Related Negativity (ERN), an event related potential (ERP) reflecting enhanced response monitoring, which moderated the relation between early BI and later anxiety problems (McDermott, et al, 2009).…”

“…In a behavioral paradigm based on the Cyberball task -- a virtual ball toss game in which the participant is socially excluded (e.g., Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003) -- behaviorally inhibited children displayed high withdrawal and low assertiveness (Walker, Henderson, Degnan, Penela, & Fox, in press). Given links between BI, cognitive conflict, and social withdrawal (Henderson, 2010; Lamm, et al, in press), it is likely that cognitive conflict may play a role in the link between BI and SPS during social exclusion. Thus, the present study focuses on the N2 since it taps cognitive conflict, which plays a role in social exclusion.…”

The Role of Caregiver Support in the Development of Adaptive Approaches to Learning for Preschoolers Who Exhibit Anxious-Withdrawal

“…Further, the positive correlation between AW and standardized measures of inhibitory control can represent a risk and resiliency factor (Brooker, Kiel & Buss, 2016;Lamm et al, 2014;Valiente, Swanson & Lemery-Chalfant, 2012). For instance, emotional and behavioral regulation can help children display competence in schoolrelated activities as they are able to control impulses (Blair & Raver, 2015;McClelland et al, 2014;Montroy, Bowles, Skibbe, & Foster, 2014).…”