title: Maternal sensitivity and infant response to frustration: the moderating role of EEG asymmetry.
abstract: Two hundred and thirty-three 5-month-old infants and their mothers participated in a study designed to examine the influence of maternal sensitivity and infant neurophysiology, as well as interactions between these, on infants' regulatory behavior and reactivity to emotional challenge. Maternal sensitivity was measured during two mother-child free-play episodes prior to the challenge task. Infant neurophysiology was derived from a measure of resting EEG asymmetry collected during a baseline episode. Infant regulatory behaviors (mother orienting and distraction) and reactivity to challenge (negative affect) were assessed during an arm restraint procedure. Maternal sensitivity predicted mother-orienting behavior for all infants, regardless of baseline EEG asymmetry. Maternal sensitivity also predicted more distraction behaviors for infants with left frontal EEG asymmetry at baseline. In contrast, maternal sensitivity predicted more negative affect for infants with right frontal EEG asymmetry at baseline. These findings lend support for the hypothesis that maternal sensitivity and infant neurophysiological functioning interact to predict regulatory behavior and reactivity and are discussed in terms of the significance for understanding infant regulatory development in the first year of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, United States. Electronic address: mmswingl@uncg.edu.
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Swingler
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, United States. Electronic address: nebrown3@uncg.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, United States; Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, United States. Electronic address: sdcalkin@uncg.edu.
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Calkins
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, United States. Electronic address: mabell@vt.edu.
authors.forename: Martha Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D002657:Child Development; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D033261:Maternal-Fetal Relations / Q000523:psychology; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology
keywords: EEG asymmetry; Emotion regulation; Infancy; Maternal sensitivity; Reactivity