Brain-Behavior Correlations: Relationships between Mother-Stranger face processing and infants behavioral responses to a separation from mother

Swingler, M.M., Sweet, M.A., & Carver, L.J., (2010).  Brain-Behavior correlations: 

            Relationships between mother-stranger face processing and infants behavioral responses

            To a separation from mother.  Developmental Psychology, 46(3), 669-680. doi: 10.1037/a

            0018907

            In infancy an important developmental milestone is being able to recognize the mothers face from others in their surroundings.  This normally occurs by 6 months of age. This article looks at how stress and separation anxiety relate to the brain reactions of the infant when looking at both faces.  From 3 to 7 months infant begin to categorize faces by certain characteristics like gender, expression and how familiar they are with the face.  By 6 months of age a preference toward the mothers face is shown in both behavioral and neurophysiological ways. 

            In this study 30 full term 6 month old infants were used. Half were male and the other half female.  Each mother was photographed and wore the same clothing.  They were not allowed to wear anything identifying like jewelry.  Each infant was tested separately by being taken away from and the reunited with their mother over a 15 minute time span while wearing an electrode cap to monitor brain response.  Two specific behaviors were identified as critical to facial recognition with infants.  Looking for the mother and distress from separation showed the preference for the mothers face over the strangers.  More visual processing was used in those who were more stressed without mom.  They also found that these infants had a cross hemisphere reaction that showed higher attention and processing skills.  This is attributed to the fact that the mothers face is processed in the left hemisphere and is also associated with positive emotion whereas the strangers face is processed on the left and gives a negative emotion.

            The mother infant bond is more likely to develop from social interactions as well as with the behavioral and neural connections that change with age.  The social brain is increased by interaction and is affected by the environment.