Foremost Research Seminars at Kumamoto University
16 January 2025

Title: Parent-Child Brain Synchrony during Co-viewing and Shared Play: fNIRS Hyperscanning Studies

Speaker

A/P Atiqah Azhari, Associate Professor (Psychology) and Provost’s Chair

Singapore University of Social Sciences

 

Abstract

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin in the brain. It is particularly well-suited for studying neural activity in naturalistic, real-world settings, such as parent-child interactions. This method enables researchers to explore brain activity and synchrony during dynamic social behaviours, providing valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying interpersonal connections. In early childhood, children acquire skills and knowledge through social interactions with their parents. Parent-child dyads who are emotionally attuned to one another demonstrate synchrony during these interactions, which can be observed both behaviourally and in the alignment of neural activities, known as brain synchrony. Research has established that parent-child brain synchrony reflects mutual emotional and cognitive alignment, predicting important developmental outcomes for children, such as improved emotional regulation, attention, cooperation, and problem-solving abilities. However, parenting stress has been identified as a factor that disrupts the parent-child relationship and negatively impacts child development. Despite this, no prior studies have investigated how parenting stress influences brain synchrony during everyday shared activities that serve as opportunities for learning and bonding. This forum presents findings from two fNIRS studies exploring the relationship between parenting stress and parent-child brain synchrony in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) during shared activities. Study 1 involved 31 mother-child dyads who co-viewed short, one-minute animated videos. The results revealed that dyads experiencing higher levels of parenting stress exhibited reduced brain synchrony in the posterior left region of the PFC, an area associated with inferring mental states. Study 2 included 60 parent-child dyads who engaged in a 10-minute free play session with standardized toys. The interactions were micro-analytically coded into joint and non-joint engagement segments, and brain synchrony was calculated using cross-correlations across 15-, 20-, 25-, 30-, and 35-second windows. This study found that dyads with elevated parenting stress showed reduced brain synchrony in the posterior right region of the PFC during joint play segments. Together, these studies demonstrate that brain synchrony is a potential neural marker underlying the negative impact of parenting stress on parent-child interactions and, consequently, on child developmental outcomes.

Speaker Bio

A/P Atiqah Azhari is a Social Developmental Neuroscientist. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology who holds the Provost’s Chair appointment at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), where she leads the Behavioural Research and Interpersonal Neuroscience (BRAIN) Lab. Atiqah is a recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fellowship which recognises outstanding early career researchers. Atiqah uses multilevel behavioural and fNIRS neuroimaging techniques in the areas of human development and family studies to investigate the mechanisms underlying social interactions in families, parent-child dyads, spousal partners, romantic partners and their associations to relationship quality, stress, resilience, development, and learning. She is a prolific academic whose work has been featured in media outlets both locally and around the globe, drawing a wide range of scientific and public audiences. Atiqah serves as a Board member of a social service agency, where she provides oversight and consultation on research that improves family services, fostering and early childhood programmes in the organisation.