Dr. Tronick's still-face experiment gives us such insight into the infant's ability to read his/her environment and emphasizes the importance of a secure parent-child relationship. Be sure to watch the video clip- it is fascinating.
Ed Tronick is a developmental and clinical psychologist. He is a world-class researcher and teacher recognized by his peers for his work on the neurobehavioral and social emotional development of infants and young children, parenting in the U.S. and other cultures, and infant-parent mental health.
Simply stated, Ed Tronick’s “still-face” experiment has revolutionized our understanding of children-first relationships and their critical importance to normal social and emotional development.
“For me, how individuals make meaning is related to growth and development, creativity and pleasure, as well as to fixedness [failure to change], lifelessness, and suffering,” says Tronick.
An infant’s exposure to “good, bad, and ugly” interactions with the mother, as repeatedly communicated by her facial expressions or lack of expression (i.e., a still-face) has long-term consequences for the infant’s confidence and curiosity, or social emotional development, with which to experience and engage the world.
The observed, tested, and proven danger of prolonged ugly interactions initiated by the mother—whether due to post-partum depression, drug abuse, child abuse, or neglect—is that over time the infant’s social-emotional development may fail and lead to aberrant neurological pathways. Tragically, the infant may feel helpless and become apathetic, withdrawn, and depressed. Others may become angry, hyper-vigilant, and emotionally brittle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0
