Theory of mind processing in expectant fathers: Associations with prenatal oxytocin and parental attunement
| Autor: | Narcis Marshall, Jonas T. Kaplan, Sofia I. Cardenas, Sarah A Stoycos, Darby E. Saxbe, Pia Sellery, Diane Goldenberg, Hannah Khoddam |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Parents Theory of Mind Oxytocin Attunement Developmental psychology Fathers 03 medical and health sciences Behavioral Neuroscience 0302 clinical medicine Developmental Neuroscience Pregnancy Social cognition Theory of mind Developmental and Educational Psychology medicine Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Parenting 05 social sciences Inferior parietal lobule Cognition Superior temporal sulcus Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex medicine.anatomical_structure Female Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Parahippocampal gyrus 050104 developmental & child psychology Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | Developmental Psychobiology. 63:1549-1567 |
| ISSN: | 1098-2302 0012-1630 |
| Popis: | Social cognition may facilitate fathers' sensitive caregiving behavior. We administered the Why-How Task, an fMRI task that elicits theory of mind processing, to expectant fathers (n = 39) who also visited the laboratory during their partner's pregnancy and provided a plasma sample for oxytocin assay. Three months postpartum, fathers reported their beliefs about parenting. When rating "Why" an action was being performed versus "How" the action was being performed (Why > How contrast), participants showed activation in regions theorized to support theory of mind, including the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and superior temporal sulcus. Fathers' prenatal oxytocin levels predicted greater signal change during the Why > How contrast in the inferior parietal lobule. Both prenatal oxytocin and attunement parenting beliefs were associated with Why > How activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a theory of mind region implicated in emotion regulation. Posterior parahippocampal gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation during the Why > How contrast predicted fathers' attunement parenting beliefs. In conclusion, fathers' neural activation when engaging in a theory of mind task was associated with their prenatal oxytocin levels and their postpartum attunement parenting beliefs. Results suggest biological and cognitive components of fathering may track with the theory of mind processing. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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