{"id":1582,"date":"2017-01-08T08:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-01-08T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=1582"},"modified":"2017-12-31T15:58:49","modified_gmt":"2017-12-31T15:58:49","slug":"parenting-matters-and-earlier-than-you-think","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/parenting-matters-and-earlier-than-you-think\/","title":{"rendered":"Parenting Matters, and Earlier than You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Studies of neglect and maltreatment of young children have revealed a lot about early brain development (e.g., Cicchetti, 2002; Nelson, 2000). These studies have highlighted that experiences in the first years of life can have profound implications across the lifespan. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a seminal study, Nelson and others (2007) found that children reared in abject circumstances showed severe cognitive delays. Children that were adopted out of these environments and into more supportive homes experienced some cognitive recovery, with children faring better the earlier they were adopted. <\/span><\/p>\n

Studies of neglect on the developing brain show the consequences of early detrimental environmental factors. Though at the same time, how might we be able to <\/span>optimize <\/span><\/i>early experiences? <\/span><\/p>\n

We know that these years present a period when the brain is uniquely malleable. How can we leverage this malleability to set children up to achieve their full potential? What might the optimal circumstances look like for a developing child?<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first years of life especially, the differences between the environments in which children grow and learn are driven by caregivers. They are the ones responsible for most all of the external factors that affect the child\u2019s development. As I mentioned in <\/span>my last post<\/span><\/a>, research continues to elucidate specific examples of environmental factors that contribute to early development, and in particular, the role that caregivers play within that environment. <\/span><\/p>\n

We all presume that parents play an important role in a child\u2019s upbringing, and in fact, studies have revealed that even a normal variation in parenting can have a great influence on brain development (e.g., Francis & Meaney, 1999). <\/span><\/p>\n

The whole gist of this preamble is to say that we know early experiences matter, and we know that caregivers are largely responsible for those experiences. While we have a good idea of what constitutes a healthy environment for development, we have yet to pin down an optimal set of experiences in the first years of life, if such a thing exists. Further, we just don\u2019t know to what degree subtle changes in the environment affect later outcomes. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the present post, I present an article published this past summer from the growing body of work on the effects of parent-child interactions. This particular study explores the correlation between a mother\u2019s behavior and her child\u2019s brain development.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Current Study<\/b><\/p>\n

Researchers in the present study (Bernier, Calkins, & Bell, 2016) wanted to investigate whether the quality of a mother\u2019s parenting behavior influences the development of the infant\u2019s frontal cortex. <\/span><\/p>\n

Previous research has shown that the prefrontal cortex, the forward-most region of the frontal cortex, plays a large role in an individual\u2019s executive function (EF): the suite of skills that enables an individual to control her own behavior and emotions. EF has been found to correlate with life-long outcomes. (Harvard\u2019s Center on the Developing Child has created a <\/span>video<\/span><\/a> that succinctly explains the topic.)<\/span><\/p>\n

In testing the correlation between parenting and frontal lobe development, researchers carried out two types of assessments: mothers\u2019 parenting behavior, and children\u2019s frontal resting electroencephalogram (EEG) power at 5, 10, and 24 months of age. (More on \u201cEEG power\u201d in a minute\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers assessed mothers\u2019 parenting behavior in the first of three visits. They gave mothers two simple infant toys, keys and a rattle, and instructed them to interact with their infants as they normally would at home, for a total of two minutes. Researchers studied four areas of maternal behavior:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Sensitivity – the extent to which the mother\u2019s interactions related with the infant\u2019s behavior. Does she acknowledge the infant\u2019s feelings? Soothe the child? Pick up on the infant\u2019s interests?<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Intrusiveness – the extent to which the mother displayed over-controlling behavior or was focused on her own agenda. Does she ignore the infant\u2019s cues? Force toys on the infant? Demonstrate intrusive physical interactions?<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Positive Affect – the extent to which the mother expressed positive emotions through her tone of voice and facial expressions.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Physical Stimulation – the extent to which the mother directly stimulated her infant\u2019s body for the purpose of heightening the infant\u2019s level of arousal. Does she tickle her infant? Exercise her infant\u2019s limbs?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now, I know what you\u2019re thinking, and yes, two minutes is not a long period of time to assess the quality of a mother\u2019s interactions with her child–especially when the researchers want to relate those two minutes to the child\u2019s brain development. While these assessments were not meant to be robust, they are considered to be indicative of the interactions that the child has with the parent in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Next, children\u2019s resting EEG power of the frontal lobe was assessed during each of the three visits, timed when the children were 5, 10, and 24 months of age. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Two points to clarify. <\/span><\/p>\n

    First, the researchers were most interested in parenting habits that may contribute to the development of a child\u2019s executive function, which depends on processing in the prefrontal cortex. The current study focuses on this region of the brain because of this known association between EF and the frontal lobe.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Also, what is \u201cresting EEG power\u201d? EEG measures electrical activity in the cortex, or the outermost layer in the brain. EEG power essentially grows in a linear fashion across infancy, and is thus thought to be an indicator of brain development (Bell & Fox, 1992; Cuevas & Bell, 2011). <\/span><\/p>\n

    Just know that higher EEG power in infancy, even at rest, is thought to indicate further brain development. (Of course, there is a lot of variation in the growth of EEG power from person to person (e.g., Cuevas et al., 2012).) <\/span><\/p>\n

    Findings<\/b><\/p>\n

    While many of this study\u2019s findings are very nuanced, I highlight here what I believe to be the most important takeaways. <\/span><\/p>\n

    (I\u2019ll emphasize below that the findings are strictly correlational. They might be due to causation, but given the nature of the study, we cannot say this for certain.)<\/span><\/p>\n

    To begin with, a mother\u2019s display of positive emotions, as seen when interacting with her infant, was essentially unrelated to frontal lobe EEG power when the children were 5 months old. This finding may be due to a number of reasons: perhaps, by 5 months of age, a mother\u2019s expression of positive emotions has not yet had time to influence the child\u2019s brain development. Again, merely speculation.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The other interesting finding from the study I\u2019d like to point out is in regard to children of mothers who expressed positive emotions AND heightened their children\u2019s emotional arousal LESS through physical contact, like through moving their limbs. These mothers did not barrage their children with physical stimulation, and instead engaged them with their voice and facial expressions. <\/span><\/p>\n

    This group of children displayed higher EEG power at both 10 months and 24 months. Further, the resting frontal EEG power of these children increased at the quickest rate between 5 to 10 months of age, and then again from 10 to 24 months of age. <\/span><\/p>\n

    One possible interpretation of the results might suggest that by expressing positive emotions and refraining from heightening the level of arousal through physical contact, a mother can increase the resting EEG power of her child\u2019s frontal lobe, thought to be a sign of cognitive development. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Possible Reasons for the Correlations – Be a Good Skeptic<\/b><\/p>\n

    I cannot convey strongly enough the skepticism with which you should consider these, and all correlational findings. In this case, the magnitude of the correlations was small, and there are a number of things that could account for these changes. <\/span><\/p>\n

    One possible, and plausible, explanation for these results may be that a mother\u2019s behavior and her child\u2019s brain development both encourage one another; change in one spurs change in the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

    As mentioned above, the mother\u2019s behavior while interacting with her child was studied for only two minutes–hardly a robust assessment. The study does not take into consideration any other environmental factor which could play a role, for example: <\/span><\/p>\n