The Moderation of EEG Asymmetry on Attention Bias Patterns by Attentional Control Capabilities in Early Childhood
Date
2011-08-22
Authors
Zapp, Daniel J.
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Abstract
Frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry, attention biases to threat, and individual differences in attentional focusing have all been linked to socio-emotional behavior and the development of social information processing in children (Rothbart & Posner, 2006). Children with right frontal EEG asymmetry are generally found to be more socially withdrawn than children with left frontal EEG asymmetry, who tend to be more approach-oriented (Fox et al., 2008). A separate literature finds that children who preferentially direct their visual attention to threatening or negative stimuli in the environment are more withdrawn and anxious (Bar-Haim et al., 2007). Regulatory mechanisms, such as the ability to focus attention, may moderate reactive traits, such as EEG asymmetry and attention biases to threat (Rueda, Posner, & Rothbart, 2005). This study investigated the relation between psychophysiological (EEG asymmetry) and cognitive (attention bias) mechanisms of socio-emotional development as a function of individual differences in attentional focusing in a sample of 31 children (15 female).
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Keywords
Attention Bias, Threat, EEG Asymmetry, Childhood, Attention Focusing