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Anger and Approach Motivation in Infancy: Relations to Early Childhood Inhibitory Control and Behavior Problems

Jie He1, Kathryn Amey Degnan2, Jennifer Martin McDermott3

  • 1Zhejiang University.

Infancy : the Official Journal of the International Society on Infant Studies
|February 24, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Infant anger reactivity and frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry predict later approach behaviors and inhibitory control. Low approach behaviors and poor inhibitory control in early childhood are linked to internalizing behaviors.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Temperament, including anger reactivity and behavioral inhibition, is crucial for child development.
  • Frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry is a potential neural correlate of emotional and behavioral regulation.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the developmental pathways from infancy to early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationships between infant anger reactivity, approach behavior, and frontal EEG asymmetry.
  • To investigate how these early factors relate to inhibitory control and behavior problems in early childhood.
  • To explore the predictive value of early temperament for later behavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 209 infants.
  • Assessment of anger expressions at 4 months.
  • Measurement of approach behaviors and frontal EEG asymmetry at 9 months.
  • Evaluation of inhibitory control and behavior problems at 4 years.

Main Results:

  • Infants with high anger proneness and left frontal EEG asymmetry exhibited more approach behaviors and less inhibitory control.
  • No direct link was found between infant anger proneness and early childhood behavior problems.
  • A combination of low approach behaviors and poor inhibitory control predicted internalizing behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Early infant temperament, specifically anger reactivity and frontal EEG asymmetry, influences the development of approach behaviors and inhibitory control.
  • While direct links between infant anger and later behavior problems were not established, specific behavioral patterns in early childhood are predictive of internalizing behaviors.
  • These findings highlight the importance of understanding the interplay between early temperament, neurodevelopment, and behavioral outcomes in childhood.

Keywords:
anger reactivityapproach motivationbehavior problemsfrontal EEG asymmetryinhibitory control

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