Frontal Function in Cognitive and Emotional Behaviors During Infancy: Effects of Maturation and Experience

Abstract

Frontal lobe activity in human infants during the second half of the first year of life was examined using the ongoing electroencephalogram. Changes in frontal EEG activity were linked to both cognitive and emotional changes that occur during that developmental period. In one series of studies we found that the pattern of asymmetrical activation in the frontal EEG was related to an infant’s temperamental disposition. Infants exhibiting greater relative right frontal activation were more likely to cry to maternal separation and to exhibit anxiety and fear in the laboratory. In a second series of studies we found that changes in performance on certain cognitive tasks was a function of frontal EEG maturation. These maturational changes in frontal activity and cognitive performance were a function of infant locomotor experience.