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Parental reflective functioning and the neural correlates of processing infant affective cues |
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| Authors: | Helena J. V. Rutherford Angela N. Maupin Nicole Landi Marc N. Potenza Linda C. Mayes |
| Affiliation: | 1. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USAhelena.rutherford@yale.edu;3. Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA;4. Haskins Laboratories, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA;5. Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA;6. Departments of Psychiatry and Neurobiology and CASAColumbia, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA |
| Abstract: | Parental reflective functioning refers to the capacity for a parent to understand their own and their infant’s mental states, and how these mental states relate to behavior. Higher levels of parental reflective functioning may be associated with greater sensitivity to infant emotional signals in fostering adaptive and responsive caregiving. We investigated this hypothesis by examining associations between parental reflective functioning and neural correlates of infant face and cry perception using event-related potentials (ERPs) in a sample of recent mothers. We found both early and late ERPs were associated with different components of reflective functioning. These findings suggest that parental reflective functioning may be associated with the neural correlates of infant cue perception and further support the value of enhancing reflective functioning as a mechanism in parenting intervention programs. |
| Keywords: | Parental reflective functioning infant faces infant cries EEG/ERP |