Infant expressions are important signals for eliciting caregiving behaviors in parents. The present study sought to test if infant expressions affect adults’ behavioral response, taking into account the role of a mood induction and childhood caregiving experiences. A modified version of the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT) was employed to study nulliparous female university students’ implicit responses to infant faces with different expressions. Study 1 showed that sad, neutral and sleepy expressions elicit a tendency for avoidance, while no tendency for approach or avoidance was found for happy faces. Notably, differences between approach and avoidance response latencies for sad faces and participants’ negative caregiving experiences were positively correlated (r = 0.30, p = 0.04, Bonferroni corrected), indicating that individuals who experienced insensitive parental care show more bias toward sad infant faces. In Study 2, we manipulated participants’ current mood (inducing sad and happy mood by asking to recall a happy or sad event of their recent life) before the AAT. Results showed that sad mood enhanced the bias toward sad faces that is buffered by positive mood induction. In conclusion, these findings indicate that implicit approach avoidance behaviors in females depend on the emotional expression of infant faces and are associated with childhood caregiving experiences and current mood.

DE CARLI, P., Riem Madelon, M., Parolin, L. (2017). Approach-avoidance responses to infant facial expressions in nulliparous women: Associations with early experience and mood induction. INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT, 49, 104-113 [10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.08.005].

Approach-avoidance responses to infant facial expressions in nulliparous women: Associations with early experience and mood induction

DE CARLI, PIETRO
Primo
;
PAROLIN, LAURA ANTONIA LUCIA
Ultimo
2017

Abstract

Infant expressions are important signals for eliciting caregiving behaviors in parents. The present study sought to test if infant expressions affect adults’ behavioral response, taking into account the role of a mood induction and childhood caregiving experiences. A modified version of the Approach Avoidance Task (AAT) was employed to study nulliparous female university students’ implicit responses to infant faces with different expressions. Study 1 showed that sad, neutral and sleepy expressions elicit a tendency for avoidance, while no tendency for approach or avoidance was found for happy faces. Notably, differences between approach and avoidance response latencies for sad faces and participants’ negative caregiving experiences were positively correlated (r = 0.30, p = 0.04, Bonferroni corrected), indicating that individuals who experienced insensitive parental care show more bias toward sad infant faces. In Study 2, we manipulated participants’ current mood (inducing sad and happy mood by asking to recall a happy or sad event of their recent life) before the AAT. Results showed that sad mood enhanced the bias toward sad faces that is buffered by positive mood induction. In conclusion, these findings indicate that implicit approach avoidance behaviors in females depend on the emotional expression of infant faces and are associated with childhood caregiving experiences and current mood.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Approach avoidance; Infant emotions; Mood manipulation; Negative caregiving experiences
English
2017
49
104
113
reserved
DE CARLI, P., Riem Madelon, M., Parolin, L. (2017). Approach-avoidance responses to infant facial expressions in nulliparous women: Associations with early experience and mood induction. INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT, 49, 104-113 [10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.08.005].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2017 approach avoidance response.pdf

Solo gestori archivio

Tipologia di allegato: Publisher’s Version (Version of Record, VoR)
Dimensione 600.37 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
600.37 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/167873
Citazioni
  • Scopus 16
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 15
Social impact