Play with Mom: Insights into Regulatory Processes at Work during Baseline and Parent-infant Play

ABSTRACT

Frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) is a neural correlate of approach and avoidance motivational processes. This study examined the shift in FAA from baseline to play, associations to parent-reported regulatory abilities, and parent and infant behaviors during play. Infants exhibited greater left frontal alpha activity (more approach) during baseline relative to play. Shifts in FAA toward greater left frontal alpha activity (more approach) from baseline to play were associated with parent ratings of infants’ regulatory behaviors and object exploration exhibited during play. These results highlight ongoing regulatory processes involved in positively valenced tasks typical in infants’ daily life.

Acknowledgments

We thank the infants and parents who made this research possible. We also thank the graduate and undergraduate research assistants involved in both data collection and coding.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.