The Significance of Mothers' Neural Responding to Infant Emotional Cues for Caregiving Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Infant Temperamental Distress
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| Title: | The Significance of Mothers' Neural Responding to Infant Emotional Cues for Caregiving Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Infant Temperamental Distress |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Madeline M. Patrick (ORCID |
| Source: | Developmental Psychology. 2025 61(7):1384-1396. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS) |
| Contract Number: | 2017920 R21DA052620 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Mothers, Infants, Emotional Response, Cues, Parenting Styles, Attachment Behavior, Affective Behavior, Infant Behavior, Parent Child Relationship |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Rothbart Infant Behavior Questionnaire |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001852 |
| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| Abstract: | We examined associations between mothers' (N = 137; 77.7% White/non-Hispanic) neural responding implicated in facial encoding (N170) and attention (P300) to infant emotional expressions and direct observations of their caregiving behaviors toward their 6-month-old infants. We also explored the moderating role of mother-reported and observer-rated infant temperamental distress. Few direct associations emerged that were not further moderated by temperament. Specifically, a dampened N170 to infant distress (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' intrusiveness, and a larger P300 to infant happy (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' sensitivity to distress. Among mothers who perceived their infants as high in temperamental distress, neural responding reflective of distinguishing (N170) and attending (P300) to infant distress (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with maternal sensitivity to distress, and neural responding reflective of encoding (N170) infant emotional (distress, happy, vs. neutral) expressions was associated with greater maternal sensitivity to nondistress. At lower levels of mother-reported temperamental distress, a heightened N170 to infant emotional (distress, happy, vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' detachment. Findings indicate that distinctive patterns of neural responding to infant emotional expressions are associated with specific caregiving behaviors and demonstrate the significance of mothers' perceptions of infant temperamental distress in moderating the extent to which neural responding to infant expressions is associated with their caregiving behaviors. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/5bgje/?view_only=e1fafc73c2a04dca9dc57ba3ee7b265a |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1502617 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | We examined associations between mothers' (N = 137; 77.7% White/non-Hispanic) neural responding implicated in facial encoding (N170) and attention (P300) to infant emotional expressions and direct observations of their caregiving behaviors toward their 6-month-old infants. We also explored the moderating role of mother-reported and observer-rated infant temperamental distress. Few direct associations emerged that were not further moderated by temperament. Specifically, a dampened N170 to infant distress (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' intrusiveness, and a larger P300 to infant happy (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' sensitivity to distress. Among mothers who perceived their infants as high in temperamental distress, neural responding reflective of distinguishing (N170) and attending (P300) to infant distress (vs. neutral) expressions was associated with maternal sensitivity to distress, and neural responding reflective of encoding (N170) infant emotional (distress, happy, vs. neutral) expressions was associated with greater maternal sensitivity to nondistress. At lower levels of mother-reported temperamental distress, a heightened N170 to infant emotional (distress, happy, vs. neutral) expressions was associated with mothers' detachment. Findings indicate that distinctive patterns of neural responding to infant emotional expressions are associated with specific caregiving behaviors and demonstrate the significance of mothers' perceptions of infant temperamental distress in moderating the extent to which neural responding to infant expressions is associated with their caregiving behaviors. |
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| ISSN: | 0012-1649 1939-0599 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dev0001852 |
