Poster #213 - Surgency/Positive Affectivity in Infancy and EEG Asymmetry: Their Joint Effects on Parent-Child Interaction

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Temperament, considered biologically based individual differences in emotion, motor, reactivity, and self-regulation, was shown to be associated with parent-child (PC) interactions in infancy. For example, parental sensitivity, tempo, and tone made significant contributions to maternal reported smiling and laughter in exploratory analyses (Gartstein, Hancock, and Iverson, 2017). Moreover, temperament indicators have been linked to neuro-functioning markers using imaging techniques, primarily electroencephalography (EEG; Bell, et al., 1998; Davidson, 1992). EEG asymmetry, or differential hemispheric activation of the frontal lobes, is informative with respect to infant temperament (Fox, 1994). Specifically, greater relative left activity is associated with approach behaviors and attentional preference for novel stimuli, whereas greater relative right activation is liked with avoidance and negative affect.

The infant literature has mostly focused on risky temperament predictive of later behavior problems and psychopathology, prioritizing negative affect markers. Therefore, the neurological underpinnings of surgency and positive affect (SPA) has been underexplored, and links with PC interactions largely neglected. As components of SPA (e.g., approach) are critical to exchanges with caregivers, the study of these positive emotionality temperament indicators is important to gain a better understanding of neurodevelopment and social-emotional functioning (Moore, 2006). The present study addresses this gap in the research by considering infant SPA, EEG asymmetry, and their interaction as predictors of PC interaction attributes in the context of an SPA eliciting Lab-TAB task, controlling for infant age and sex.

Mothers with infants 6-12 months of age were recruited from the Eastern Washington/Northern Idaho area. Only families with healthy infants (e.g., no medical or birth complications) were eligible to participate in this study. Families meeting criteria (N=35) completed the Infant Behavioral Questionnaire (IBQ-R, Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003). Exchanges between mothers and children were observed during a standardized PC play interaction episode and coded for sensitivity and responsiveness, tone, intensity, tempo, and reciprocity (Gartstein et al., 2017). SPA was elicited via a standardized peek-a-boo Lab-TAB task (Goldsmith, & Rothbart, 1996). EEG was recorded during this episode and subsequently processed and analyzed according to standard procedures (Bell & Cuevas, 2012). Frontal asymmetry scores were computed by subtracting the natural log (ln) power at left frontal (F3) from ln power at right frontal (F4) to assess the differences in the 6-9 Hz alpha band. A negative frontal EEG asymmetry score reflects greater right frontal activation.

Joint effects of temperament and EEG activation were considered. Interactions between SPA and asymmetry were expected to predict PC interaction factors, with infants scoring higher on SPA and its components, and displaying greater left frontal activity, experiencing higher quality interactions (e.g., greater sensitivity/responsiveness). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses provided support for this hypothesis, as interaction terms reflecting this joint effect accounted for significant variance in PC interactions, especially intensity of exchanges. These findings suggest neurodevelopmental correlates are important to understanding the role of infant temperament in shaping PC exchanges and social-emotional development more broadly.

Authors

• Allegra Campagna, Washington State University
  Presenting Author

• Eric Desmarais, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alyssa Neumann, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Mattera, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Haven Warwick, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joshua Underwood, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Maria Gartstein, Washington State University
  Non-Presenting Author