Examining the associations between maternal sensitivity and infant responses to the still face paradigm

The Still Face Paradigm is used to assess infants' responses to the absence of normal social interaction with the parent. Infants' responses to this moderately stressful task - both physiologically and behaviorally - can help us understand how emotion regulation develops during infancy. The current study examined whether maternal sensitivity is associated with infants' physiological and behavioral responses to the Still Face Paradigm. The sample comprised 134 mother and infant dyads who participated in a research visit when the infant was seven month olds. Maternal sensitivity was coded during the play episode of the Still Face Paradigm. Infants' physiological arousal was indexed by their respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and electrodermal activity (EDA) during the Still Face Paradigm. Infants' positive affect and negative affect were coded based on their behaviors during the Still Face Paradigm. Results indicated that maternal sensitivity was not significantly correlated with infants' RSA reactivity, EDA reactivity, negative affect reactivity, or positive affect reactivity during the Still Face Paradigm. These null findings suggest that maternal sensitivity during the play episode may not be associated with their infants' responses to this socially stressful event. Directions for future research may include increasing the diversity of participants and adding a second set of still face and reunion episodes.