Investigating associations between maternal neural responsivity and infant developmental outcomes.

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Authors: Kathryn M. Wall, Francesca Penner, Kathryn Armstrong, Amanda F. Lowell, Marc N. Potenza, Linda C. Mayes, Rutherford Hj
Cited by: 1

Abstract

= 7.75 months; 60% female). Child development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Third Edition. Event-related potentials were recorded while mothers viewed infant faces and were used to generate profiles of maternal neural responsiveness. A latent profile analysis was used to examine patterns of maternal event-related potential responses to infant faces. A model with three profiles had the best fit statistics. Maternal profile membership was significantly related to infant social-emotional development such that a profile characterized by an attenuated early response at the N170 amplitude and a faster late response at the P300 latency was associated with increased infant social-emotional development scores. There were no significant associations between maternal profile membership and infant cognitive, language, motor, or adaptive behavior development. Findings support the importance of characterizing neural aspects of maternal responsiveness that may underlie infant social-emotional development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Fields of Study & Subjects

Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Infant Development and Preterm Care Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Publication details

Journal / source
Developmental Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Publication date
29 January 2026
Language
EN