Still Face Experiment

Question 1

Who carried out the still face experiment and when?

Answer 1

Tronick (1978)

Question 2

What was the aim of the still face experiment?

Answer 2

To give an insight into how a parent’s reactions can affect the emotional development of a baby

Question 3

What was the procedure of the still face experiment?

Answer 3

• A mother faces her baby and is originally playful and cheerful
• She is then asked to suddenly hold a ‘still face’, in which she doesn’t react to the baby’s behaviours
• The behaviour of the babies was then observed and recorded

Question 4

What were the findings of the still face experiment?

Answer 4

• In general, the baby will become agitated by failed attempts to evoke a reaction in the mother
• Babies of depressed mothers exhibited a lesser reaction
• Baby boys were found to have more difficulty than girls in maintaining affective regulation during the procedure