Infant reactivity and reliance on mother during emotion challenges: Prediction of cognition and language skills in a low-income sample

This investigation considers the association between patterns of emotional reactivity and reliance on mother in infancy and cognitive and language dev elopments at age 2. Low-income women (N = 518) and their firstborn infants participated in (1) a lab-based assessment where emotion challenges were pr esented when the infants were 6 to 9 months old, and (2) an assessment of l anguage and cognitive skills at a,ae 2. After controlling for birthweight, early sensorimotor delay, and age at testing, infants who displayed a patte rn of combined high reactivity and high reliance on mother in response to p ositive, anger, and fear emotion challenges had higher cognitive and langua ge skills at age 2 compared with infants who displayed patterns of row reac tivity and low reliance on mother. Children who showed high fearful distres s and low reliance on mother and whose mothers had low psychological resour ces had especially poor developmental outcomes. The role of maternal availa bility in the socialization of emotion and early communication is discussed .