Children's Emotion Regulation: Frontal EEG Asymmetry and Behavior during a Disappointment

The approach-withdrawal model of emotion regulation posits that emotional behaviors are associated with a balance of activity in left and right frontal brain areas that can be explained in an asymmetry measurement. According to the model, approach emotions such as joy are associated with greater relative activity in left frontal brain areas and withdrawal emotions such as fear are associated with greater relative activity in right frontal brain areas (Davidson, 1992; Fox, 1991). The hypothesis tested in the present study is that children's approach and withdrawal behavior are related to resting and task-related brain electrical activity. Fifty-eight children from age 3-9 years were assessed during a laboratory task designed to elicit disappointment. In this task, children were led to believe that they would receive their favorite of a group of toys but instead were given their least favorite toy. Electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was measured during rest and during the task condition in which the child received the least-favorite toy, and asymmetry scores for midfrontal sites were computed. Approach behaviors (e.g., smiling) and withdrawal behaviors (e.g., facial expressions of disgust) during the task were coded from videotape. Children with right frontal asymmetry at rest exhibited more withdrawal behavior and were more likely to express sadness during the task. Approach behavior was not associated with frontal asymmetry. Sadness expressions decreased with age, smiling increased with age, and children whose parents had high depressive symptoms exhibited anger more frequently. These findings provide limited support for the approach-withdrawal model and suggest that the relation between resting asymmetry and withdrawal behavior might be stronger than that for resting asymmetry and approach behavior.

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