Infants’ neural processing of emotional faces after ostracism

Abstract

Ostracism, a stressful experience that threatens human psychological needs, such as self-esteem and sense of belonging, significantly affects adults’ processing of social cues at both the neurophysiological and behavioral levels. However, research about the effects of ostracism on infants remains extremely scarce. The current study investigated how self-experienced ostracism and inclusion influence the neural response of 13-month-old infants (N = 36; 53% males; mostly White) to emotional faces. Infants were included or ostracized in a live triadic ball-tossing game and subsequently presented with dynamic emotional faces (i.e., happy, fearful, and angry faces) while their electroencephalographic (EEG) activity was recorded. Results revealed that ostracism altered infants’ neural responses. Ostracized infants displayed heightened attention to all emotional faces, as evidenced by an enhanced Nc component, reflecting increased attentional allocation to social cues compared to included participants. Furthermore, unlike included infants, ostracized ones exhibited reduced sensorimotor activity in response to all emotions. Importantly, ostracized infants also manifested increased negative affect and engagement behaviors during the triadic interaction. Overall, these findings highlight an early sensitivity to ostracism, demonstrating its impact on infants’ neural processing of emotional faces, possibly affecting their ability to navigate complex social interactions.