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Young children's behavioral and neural responses to peer feedback relate to internalizing problems
Santiago Morales1, Alicia Vallorani2, Koraly Pérez-Edgar2
1University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, United States; The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, United States.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|December 24, 2018
Summary
Young children experiencing peer rejection show distress and altered brain activity. This response, particularly with attention to social threats, predicts internalizing problems, highlighting the impact of early peer interactions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
Background:
- Peer experiences are crucial for early socioemotional development.
- Limited research exists on how young children process peer feedback.
- Understanding responses to social acceptance and rejection is vital.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate young children's processing of peer social acceptance and rejection.
- To examine affective and neural responses to peer feedback.
- To explore the link between peer feedback responses and internalizing problems.
Main Methods:
- An experimental paradigm involving 118 children (ages 53-99 months).
- Children sorted peers based on play preference and received simulated feedback (acceptance/rejection).
- Measured affective responses (distress, rating speed) and mid-frontal EEG theta power.
Main Results:
- Peer rejection elicited greater distress, slower affective ratings, and increased EEG theta power compared to acceptance.
- Children's distress and EEG theta power during rejection predicted internalizing problems.
- This prediction was stronger in children with an attention bias to social threat.
Conclusions:
- The study validates an experimental paradigm for assessing children's peer feedback processing.
- Early responses to peer rejection, especially with social threat bias, are linked to internalizing difficulties.
- Findings underscore the importance of understanding children's socioemotional responses to peer interactions.