Still Face Experiment Video

Ed Tronick Ph.D. is an internationally known researcher and leader in the field of infant and young child mental health.  His Still Face experiment, which uses microanalysis of infant/young child-caregiver interactions, led to creation of his Mutual Regulation Model.  This Model views infants as part of an early dyadic communication system in which the infant and adult mutually regulate and scaffold their engagement with each other and the world by communicating and responding to each other’s intentions. Through this back- and-forth engagement, including matched and mismatched intentions and emotional states, the infant and young child learn about communication and emotional regulation.  These processes form the foundation of social-emotional development and underlying brain architecture upon which the child’s later ability to regulate emotions and attend to tasks is built.  Dr. Tronick will share his research findings, his theory, and videotapes of infants, young children, and parents to illuminate these processes.