The Still Face Paradigm: Understanding Infant Social Interactions

What if you were talking to someone and they suddenly withdrew, no longer showing any emotion? You’d probably wonder what went wrong and try to pull them back into the conversation, right? But would infants do the same thing? Long ago, in 1975, psychologist Edward Tronick and his colleagues first reported a simple experimental procedure that has become known as the still face paradigm (SFP).

How It Works

In its basic form, the SFP procedure has three phases:

• Baseline Phase: The caregiver, usually a parent, interacts with an infant, who is in a highchair. Infants often take a while to settle and feel comfortable in a new setting, so the baseline phase is not started until the baby is comfortable enough to interact with the caregiver in a positive, interactive face-to-face exchange.
• Still-Face Phase: The transition between phases involves the caregiver turning away from the infant and adopting a blank face, showing neither positive or negative affect. The caregiver then turns and establishes eye contact with the infant, maintaining a still face.
• Reunion Phase: The caregiver simply drops the still face and returns to normal, unconstrained interaction with the infant.

This is a research method that is best seen to be appreciated, so please watch this brief video, as Dr. Tronick describes what is happening. Each of these phases typically lasts for 2 to 3 minutes. The behavior of both the caregiver and infant are recorded during this entire sequence. The recordings are later analyzed and the behaviors are categorized and timed using guidelines developed by Dr. Tronick and others.

The Results

Dr. Tronick designed the SFP to challenge the prevailing idea that infants are passive in social interactions. Instead, his research demonstrated that infants are active, intelligent social participants. Typical reactions, known as the “still face effect,” include increasingly negative emotions, gaze aversion, and active attempts to resume normal interaction. Caregivers often report significant stress maintaining the neutral expression while observing the infant’s struggle during the still-face phase.

An Invaluable Tool

The first SFP studies were presented to the psychological community at an annual convention of developmental psychologists. The study immediately caught the attention of researchers, who are always looking for good ways to conduct their research. When you study infants, a procedure that takes 6 minutes, involves caretaker and infant simply interacting face-to-face, and produces rich and reliable results is pure gold.

Scientists often take procedures that work well and then use them to ask a variety of questions or to conduct other types of research. For example, other scientists have used the still-face paradigm to examine how reactions might vary when you change the variables. They have examined the results of the SFP between fathers and their children or between mothers with postpartum depression or panic disorders and their children.

It has also been used to study children of different sexes, ages, abilities, or those from different cultural and racial backgrounds. Several SFP studies have tested children on the autism spectrum, which is typically associated with some difficulties in social relationships. Others have tested infants with self-control difficulties or who show defiant behaviors toward their caregivers.

By understanding the mechanics of infant social interaction, we are better equipped to grasp how foundational social and emotional skills develop from a young age. This contributes to a broader understanding of human psychology and could serve as an early indicator for potential developmental challenges.