2-084 - Biological Substrates and Implications of Caregiving Relationships: An Incursion into the Nervous System, the Genes, and the Brain

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

One of the most exciting advances in recent developmental science is the increasing cross-fertilization between formerly independent lines of research, such as neuroscience and parenting research. The long-standing division between fundamental research focusing on psychophysiology, genetics, and brain development on the one hand, and work pertaining to the importance of early relationships on the other hand, is becoming obsolete. Research suggests that caregiving relationships and parents’ and children’s neural and biological systems influence each other in complex ways. This line of research is just emerging however, thus many studies are based on small samples, cross-sectional designs, or indirect measures. We propose four longitudinal and/or large-sample studies investigating the associations between gold-standard measures of early caregiving relationships and cutting-edge assessments of parents’ and children’s genetic, biological, and neural characteristics.

The proposed series of presentations starts with an investigation of the longitudinal relations between the quality of mother-infant interactions and infant brain development. Then, two ways in which children’s genetic make-up intersects with caregiving relationships are addressed: one study investigates interactions between maternal sensitivity and children’s genes in predicting child self-regulation, and the next talk re-visits the controversy on the genetic contributions to disorganized attachment. The last talk presents a 37-year longitudinal study examining links between early maternal sensitivity and electrodermal reactivity while interacting with an adult romantic partner.

The results of the four studies converge to suggest that the quality of early caregiving relationships predicts, and is predicted by, several aspects of parents’ and children’s biological characteristics.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chairs

• Annie Bernier, University of Montreal

• Andrée-Anne Bouvette-Turcot, University of Montreal

Individual Presentations

• Longitudinal Associations Between the Quality of Mother-infant Interactions and Brain Development Across Infancy - Presenting Author: Annie Bernier, University of Montreal; Martha Ann Bell, Virginia Tech; Susan D Calkins, University of North Carolina, Greensboro

• Do Oxytocin and Dopamine Related Genes Moderate Effects of Early Maternal Sensitivity on Toddler Self-Regulation? - Presenting Author: Esther M. Leerkes, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Susan D Calkins, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Jinni Su, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Vincent Henrich, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Genetic Determinants of Attachment Disorganization : Further Evidence for the Role of the DRD4 and the 5-HTTLPR Genes - Presenting Author: Andrée-Anne Bouvette-Turcot, University of Montreal; Hélène Gaudreau, McGill University; Marie Helene Pennestri, McGill University; Ellen Moss, Universite Du Quebec A Montreal; Annie Bernier, University of Montreal; Marla Sokolowski, University of Toronto; James Kennedy, University of Toronto; Leslie Atkinson; Michael Meaney, McGill University

• Maternal Insensitivity in Childhood Predicts Greater Electrodermal Reactivity during Adult Romantic Relationship Interactions - Presenting Author: Lee Raby, University of Delaware; Glenn I. Roisman, University of Minnesota; Jeffry Simpson, University of Minnesota; W Andrew Collins, University of Minnesota; Ryan Davies Steele, Univ of Minnesota