title: Anger and Approach Motivation in Infancy: Relations to Early Childhood Inhibitory Control and Behavior Problems.
abstract: The relations among infant anger reactivity, approach behavior, and frontal EEG asymmetry, and their relations to inhibitory control and behavior problems in early childhood were examined within the context of a longitudinal study of temperament. Two hundred and nine infants' anger expressions to arm restraint were observed at 4 months of age. Infants' approach behaviors during play with an unpredictable toy and baseline frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry were assessed at 9 months of age. Inhibitory control during a Go/No-Go task and parent-report of behavior problems were evaluated at 4 years of age. High anger-prone infants with left, but not right, frontal EEG asymmetry showed significantly more approach behaviors and less inhibitory control relative to less anger-prone infants. Although a link between anger proneness in infancy and behavior problems in early childhood was not found, a combination of low approach behaviors and poor inhibitory control was predictive of internalizing behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang University.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland.
authors.forename: Kathryn Amey
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Degnan
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison.
authors.forename: Jennifer Martin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.affiliation: University of Miami.
authors.forename: Heather A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang University.
authors.forename: Qinmei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland.
authors.forename: Nathan A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Fox
keywords: anger reactivity; approach motivation; behavior problems; frontal EEG asymmetry; inhibitory control