Infant frontal asymmetry predicts child emotional availability

Abstract

While factors influencing maternal emotional availability (EA) have been well investigated, little is known about the development of child EA. The present longitudinal study investigated the role of frontal brain asymmetry in young children with regard to child EA (child responsiveness and involvement) in mother-child interaction in a sample of 28 children at 7, 14, and 50 months of age. When infants were 7 months of age, mother-child interaction quality was assessed using the EA-Scales. At 14 months, infants' resting asymmetric frontal activity was assessed by means of the electroencephalogram (EEG). When children were 50 months old, mother-child interaction quality was measured again. Analyses showed that relatively higher left frontal EEG activation was related to higher child involvement at 50 months, but not to child responsiveness. Those findings suggest a specific relation between individual differences in frontal asymmetry, and child approach and initiating behaviors in mother-child interaction.

Frontal Electroencephalogram Alpha Asymmetry Relates to Implicit Achievement Motives: A Pilot Study

“…Our findings are in line with previous research demonstrating the relationship between approach‐oriented emotions, approach motivation, and approach‐related constructs with increased left frontal cortical activity (e.g., Davidson & Fox, ; Fox, ; Fox et al, ; Harmon‐Jones et al, ; Licata et al, ; Pizzagalli et al, ; Shankman et al, , ; Sutton & Davidson, ; Tomarken & Keener, ). In addition, a personality trait related to a stronger approach tendency, the BAS (Gray, ), is linked to an increase in relative left frontal alpha activity after a difficult decision is made (Harmon‐Jones et al, ; Harmon‐Jones et al, ).…”

“…Thereby, greater right relative to left frontal activity has been linked to withdrawal‐oriented emotions, to an avoidance motivation, and to the experience of negative affect (e.g., Davidson, Ekman, Saron, Senulis, & Friesen, ; Fox, ; Fox, Henderson, Rubin, Calkins, & Schmidt, ; Harmon‐Jones, Gable, & Peterson, ; Jones & Fox, ; Saby & Marshall, ; Shankman et al, , ; Sutton & Davidson, ). Furthermore, greater relative left frontal activity has been associated with approach‐oriented emotions, to an approach motivation, and the experience of positive affect (e.g., Davidson & Fox, ; Fox, ; Fox et al, ; Harmon‐Jones et al, ; Licata, Paulus, Kühn‐Popp, Meinhardt, & Sodian, ; Paulus, Kühn‐Popp, Licata, Sodian, & Meinhardt, ; Pizzagalli, Sherwood, Henriques, & Davidson, ; Shankman et al, , ; Sutton & Davidson, ; Tomarken & Keener, ). For example, video clips that evoke fear or disgust resulted in greater relative right frontal brain activity (Davidson et al, ; Jones & Fox, ), while 10‐month‐old infants displayed increased left frontal activation after watching film clips of a woman with a happy facial expression as compared with a sad expression (Davidson & Fox, ).…”

Attachment Representations and Brain Asymmetry during the Processing of Autobiographical Emotional Memories in Late Adolescence

“…Insecure-preoccupied subjects tend to hyper-activate the attachment system and report about childhood experiences eliciting highly intense emotions. Indeed, left frontal hemisphere activation is associated with approach-related motivation, coping and proactive social behavior (Davidson, 1992; Master et al, 2009; Licata et al, 2015). However, relatively increased LFA has also been found in dispositional anger which can be regarded an approach related tendency as well (Harmon-Jones and Allen, 1998).…”

“…Another limitation of this study is that the design does not allow to draw upon assumptions on the causal mechanisms between neural measures and emotion regulation strategies associated with different attachment representations. While associations between frontal asymmetry and attachment as well as maternal depressive symptoms have already been found in young children (e.g., Field et al, 1995; Dawson et al, 1997; Dawson et al, 2001), a recent study’s findings suggest that frontal hemispheric asymmetry may be less influenced by environmental factors (Licata et al, 2015). It would be very interesting to apply a longitudinal approach to attachment related emotion regulation strategies and the neural circuits that are associated with the phenomenon beyond childhood.…”

Emotional availability: theory, research, and intervention

“…Thus, we argue that adult sensitivity is not the only factor that contributes to the relationship’s health. Interestingly, a recent study by Licata et al (2015) found that child involvement was related to maternal sensitivity and higher left frontal activation of the brain, as measured with the electroencephalogram. However, child responsiveness was related to maternal sensitivity, but not neurological activation.…”