Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship
The development of social-cognitive abilities in infancy is subject to an intricate interaction between maturation of neural systems and environmental input. We investigated the role of infants’ attachment relationship quality in shaping infants’ neural responses to observed social interactions. One...
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doaj-8d96e4c26f324fe7bbad86e98e110db82021-04-16T04:53:09ZengElsevierDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience1878-92932021-04-0148100941Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationshipSzilvia Biro0Mikko J. Peltola1Rens Huffmeijer2Lenneke R.A. Alink3Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg4Marinus H. van IJzendoorn5Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Institute for Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, the Netherlands.Human Information Processing Laboratory, Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, FinlandInstitute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the NetherlandsInstitute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the NetherlandsLeiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, the Netherlands; Clinical Child and Family Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the NetherlandsDepartment of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the NetherlandsThe development of social-cognitive abilities in infancy is subject to an intricate interaction between maturation of neural systems and environmental input. We investigated the role of infants’ attachment relationship quality in shaping infants’ neural responses to observed social interactions. One-hundred thirty 10-month-old infants participated in an EEG session while they watched animations involving a distressing separation event that ended with either comforting or ignoring behavior. Frontal asymmetry (FA) in the alpha range - which is indicative of approach-withdrawal tendencies - was measured with EEG. Attachment quality was assessed using the Strange Situation procedure at 12 months. Overall, infants with disorganized attachment showed a lack of right-sided – withdrawal related – FA compared to secure and insecure infants. Furthermore, only avoidant infants exhibited reduced right-sided FA responses following the separation. Contrary to our expectations, the type of response (comforting vs. ignoring) did not elicit differences in FA patterns, and attachment quality did not moderate the effects of the type of response on frontal asymmetry. Implications for research on attachment-related biases in social information processing and on the neural underpinnings of prosocial behaviors are discussed.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929321000323Frontal asymmetryInfancySocial cognitionAttachment securityDisorganized attachment |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Szilvia Biro Mikko J. Peltola Rens Huffmeijer Lenneke R.A. Alink Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg Marinus H. van IJzendoorn |
spellingShingle |
Szilvia Biro Mikko J. Peltola Rens Huffmeijer Lenneke R.A. Alink Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg Marinus H. van IJzendoorn Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Frontal asymmetry Infancy Social cognition Attachment security Disorganized attachment |
author_facet |
Szilvia Biro Mikko J. Peltola Rens Huffmeijer Lenneke R.A. Alink Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg Marinus H. van IJzendoorn |
author_sort |
Szilvia Biro |
title |
Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship |
title_short |
Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship |
title_full |
Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship |
title_fullStr |
Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship |
title_full_unstemmed |
Frontal EEG asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: The role of infants’ attachment relationship |
title_sort |
frontal eeg asymmetry in infants observing separation and comforting events: the role of infants’ attachment relationship |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
issn |
1878-9293 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
The development of social-cognitive abilities in infancy is subject to an intricate interaction between maturation of neural systems and environmental input. We investigated the role of infants’ attachment relationship quality in shaping infants’ neural responses to observed social interactions. One-hundred thirty 10-month-old infants participated in an EEG session while they watched animations involving a distressing separation event that ended with either comforting or ignoring behavior. Frontal asymmetry (FA) in the alpha range - which is indicative of approach-withdrawal tendencies - was measured with EEG. Attachment quality was assessed using the Strange Situation procedure at 12 months. Overall, infants with disorganized attachment showed a lack of right-sided – withdrawal related – FA compared to secure and insecure infants. Furthermore, only avoidant infants exhibited reduced right-sided FA responses following the separation. Contrary to our expectations, the type of response (comforting vs. ignoring) did not elicit differences in FA patterns, and attachment quality did not moderate the effects of the type of response on frontal asymmetry. Implications for research on attachment-related biases in social information processing and on the neural underpinnings of prosocial behaviors are discussed. |
topic |
Frontal asymmetry Infancy Social cognition Attachment security Disorganized attachment |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929321000323 |
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