Implicit associations to infant cry: Genetics and early care experiences influence caregiving propensities

Senese, Vincenzo Paolo; Azhari, Atiqah; Shinohara, Kazuyuki; Doi, Hiroyuki; Venuti, Paola; Bornstein, Marc H.; Esposito, Gianluca

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.12.012

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 104 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While the current study is worthy from the viewpoint of the general tendency in maternal behavior, future studies should address individual differences in maternal approach-avoidance behavior to infant vocalization. Recently, several studies have revealed that Oxytocin receptor gene polymorphism moderates the effects of childhood experiences on behavioral and physiological responses to infant crying (Esposito et al, 2017; Hiraoka and Nomura, 2019; Senese et al, 2019). Since this gene x environment approach is useful for revealing the mechanism shaping the parenting behavior, future research should examine the gene x environment effects on maternal postural movement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effects of Infant Vocalizations on Approach-Avoidance Postural Movements in Mothers

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Infant vocalization plays a pivotal role in communicating infant mood to parents and thereby motivating parenting responses. Although many psychological and neural responses to infant vocalization have been reported, few studies have examined maternal approach-avoidance behavior in response to infant vocalization. Thus, this research sought to determine how infant emotional vocalization affects maternal behavior. Twenty mothers participated in this behavioral study, all of whom had infants of 24 months old or less. In the experiment, they stood on a Balance Board that collected real-time data regarding center of pressure (COP), while listening to a series of infant vocalizations including cry, laugh, and babbling. They then listened to the same vocalizations for a second time and rated their felt emotions in response to each vocalization. The participants demonstrated significant postural movements of approaching in response to cry stimuli or to stimuli regarded as highly urgent. In contrast, they demonstrated postural movement of avoidance in response to laugh vocalization. These findings suggest that parenting behavior in response to infant emotional vocalization is regulated not by the pleasant-unpleasant axis but by the urgency of the stimulus.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effects of Infant Vocalizations on Approach-Avoidance Postural Movements in Mothers

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Also, genetic aspects should be importantly addressed. Two studies in nonparent adults therefore found that different genetic polymorphisms sensitized the impact of early care experiences on adults’ implicit responses to infant faces (Senese et al, 2017) and cries (Senese et al, 2019). Senese et al (2017), for instance, showed that a genetic variant of the serotonin transporter moderated the effect of parental rejection experiences on the implicit attitudes to infant faces in adults.…”

Section: Strengths Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perceived quality of maternal care during childhood shapes attentional bias to infant faces in parents and nonparents.

Gemignani,

Giannotti,

de Falco

2024

Journal of Family Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While research has shown that the attentional bias to infant faces predicts the quality of infant care, the antecedents of this cognitive process have been less established. In particular, it remains unknown whether the attentional bias to infant faces might be affected by the interplay between different factors, including memories of past experiences of care, adults' sex, and the experience of parenthood. To extend previous results, we examined the attentional bias to infant faces in a mixed sample of parents (n = 99) and nonparents (n = 102), and whether it varied in relation to parental status, sex, the quality of past experiences of care, and the interactions between these factors. A modified go/no-go task was used to compare the effect of adult and infant faces in retaining adults' attention. Memories of past experiences of paternal and maternal care were collected using the short form of the Italian version of the Parental Acceptance-Rejection scale. Results confirmed that infant faces induced greater attentional interference compared to adult faces. A heightened attention to all types of faces was found in parents versus nonparent. Women, as compared to men, were slower in the task performance, and allocated more attention to infant versus adult faces. Consistent with previous evidence, the attentional prioritization of infant faces varied in relation to previous experiences of care with one's own mother; individuals who remembered a more accepting maternal care allocated more attention to infant versus adult faces. Parental status did not modulate this effect, but sex of participants did. Grounded in the interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), this study provides new insights for discerning processes that might regulate global adult caregiving.

show abstract

“…Findings of this study suggest that polymorphisms may confer differential genetic sensitivity in the adult response to social cues. Furthermore, different genetic polymorphisms exert different influences on adults' implicit associations with infant cry (Senese, Azhari, Shinohara, et al, 2019).…”

Section: The Role Of Genetic and Hormonal Factors In Human Parental B...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The modulating action of oxytocin has also been highlighted in humans, which also supports many human socio‐affective functions, such as empathy, cohesion and social understanding (Sokolowski & Corbin, 2012). Employing a gene × environment (G × E) approach, a study by Senese, Azhari, Shinohara, et al (2019) investigated the interaction of genetic polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (5‐HTTLPR) and oxytocin receptor genes (OXTRs; rs53576, rs2254298) with early experiences of parental care in the influence of adults' implicit associations to the baby's crying. Findings of this study suggest that polymorphisms may confer differential genetic sensitivity in the adult response to social cues.…”

Section: Parental Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy is a useful tool for multi‐perspective psychobiological study of neurophysiological correlates of parenting behaviour

Russo

Senese

2023

Eur J of Neuroscience

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The quality of the relationship between caregiver and child has long-term effects on the cognitive and socio-emotional development of children. A process involved in human parenting is the bio-behavioural synchrony that occurs between the partners in the relationship during interaction. Through interaction, bio-behavioural synchronicity allows the adaptation of the physiological systems of the parent to those of the child and promotes the positive development and modelling of the child's social brain. The role of bio-behavioural synchrony in building social bonds could be investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). In this paper we have (a) highlighted the importance of the quality of the caregiver-child relationship for the child's cognitive and socio-emotional development, as well as the relevance of infantile stimuli in the activation of parenting behaviour; (b) discussed the tools used in the study of the neurophysiological substrates of the parental response; (c) proposed fNIRS as a particularly suitable tool for the study of parental responses; and (d) underlined the need for a multi-systemic psychobiological approach to understand the mechanisms that regulate caregiver-child interactions and their bio-behavioural synchrony. We propose to adopt a multisystem psychobiological approach to the study of parental behaviour and social interaction.

show abstract

Implicit associations to infant cry: Genetics and early care experiences influence caregiving propensities

Cited by 9 publications

References 104 publications

Differential Effects of Infant Vocalizations on Approach-Avoidance Postural Movements in Mothers

Differential Effects of Infant Vocalizations on Approach-Avoidance Postural Movements in Mothers

The perceived quality of maternal care during childhood shapes attentional bias to infant faces in parents and nonparents.

Functional near‐infrared spectroscopy is a useful tool for multi‐perspective psychobiological study of neurophysiological correlates of parenting behaviour

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About