Emotion-cognition interactions in early infant development

Reciprocal influences between emotional and cognitive development have been postulated, but not studied directly. A sample of 29 infants was followed longitudinally from 12 to 23 weeks of age, with measures of sensorimotor co-ordination and measures of emotional response to maternal separation and reunion assessed at weekly intervals. No evidence was found for a change in emotion expression corresponding with a cognitive develop mental shift. However, significant cross-age correlations were recorded between emotion expressed in reunion and cognitive performance. Negative emotion at 3 months predicted lower cognitive scores thereafter, and cognitive precocity at 3 months predicted negative emotion after 4 months. These findings suggest a complex and reciprocal interaction between emotion and cognition, changing in character across a period of rapid developmental changes.