title: Neurophysiological evidence of an association between cognitive control and defensive reactivity processes in young children.
abstract: Interactions between cognitive control and affective processes, such as defensive reactivity, are intimately involved in healthy and unhealthy human development. However, cognitive control and defensive reactivity processes are often studied in isolation and rarely examined in early childhood. To address these gaps, we examined the relationships between multiple neurophysiological measures of cognitive control and defensive reactivity in young children. Specifically, we assessed two event-related potentials thought to index cognitive control processes--the error-related negativity (ERN) and error positivity (Pe)--measured across two tasks, and two markers of defensive reactivity processes--startle reflex and resting parietal asymmetry--in a sample of 3- to 7-year old children. Results revealed that measures of cognitive control and defensive reactivity were related such that evidence of poor cognitive control (smaller ERN) was associated with high defensive reactivity (larger startle and greater right relative to left parietal activity). The strength of associations between the ERN and measures of defensive reactivity did not vary by age, providing evidence that poor cognitive control relates to greater defensive reactivity across early childhood years.
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States. Electronic address: losharon@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States.
authors.forename: Hans S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Schroder
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States; Georgia Tech University, Department of Psychology, United States.
authors.forename: Tim P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Moran
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States.
authors.forename: C Emily
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Durbin
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, Department of Psychology, United States.
authors.forename: Jason S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moser
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000379:methods*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cognitive control; Defensive reactivity; Error-related negativity; Parietal asymmetry; Startle; Young children