Disconnection and the Still Face Paradigm

Are babies really affected emotionally by the way adults respond to them? Absolutely. One of the ways that scientists have been able to demonstrate that is through the experimental paradigm known as the Still Face Paradigm. This video, shot in 1994, shows a 3-month-old baby and his mum taking part in that paradigm. The distress that the baby feels when his mum disconnects from him is plain to see. It is a powerful demonstration of just how connected babies’ brains are.

[@kntrsh]

Something not relevant in 1994 but really today: a parent staring at the phone screen is a still face for the baby

[@Rat_Queen86]

Very good point!

[@a.k.3659]

This comment should have been pinned! Spot on! Spread the word.

[@Eva-nv5lw]

Thank you! Spot on.

[@NANASplash]

My mother was a paranoid schizophrenic and had the still face throughout my childhood and those of my siblings. Our father was an extremely abusive alcoholic. This horrific environment really messed all of us up. Drug and alcohol abuse, inadequate social skills, depression, anxiety and many other issues. We should have been removed from this home.

[@reliewztag]

sorry to heart that.. I can take a long time to make a cut with a parent, its even worse than ending a toxic relationship. I hope you found the strength to make the best decision for you.

[@shelbywells4624]

I’m so sorry. ❤️‍🩹 None if you deserved such sorrow and mistreatment. Wishing you and your siblings so much healing and love. The fact that you’re educating yourself like this really shows the strength, innate wisdom, and determination you have to heal. Incredible soul you have ❤

[@NANASplash]

@@shelbywells4624 Thank you, Shelby! It’s taken years, but I’ve been able to study and learn how to help myself. I was in therapy a few times. Mostly without success. Our Lord has helped me to learn to stand on my own and not wait for anyone else to save me, but him.

[@williamwillaims]

​@a.k.3659 oh boy, no one's asking you to call a friend. Even 50/50 is a safe bet. If this person is anonymous- what benifit would they get from lying? I believe them. 😊

[@NANASplash]

@@shelbywells4624 Thank you. I struggle sometimes, but I live on my own, pay my bills and I have good friends now.

[@maximus4765]

Aw, I know it's for research but that's so sad.

[@rjt6954]

Very interesting but also makes sense that if you don't give a baby the care and attention they need, that this will have a negative impact on their later formative years. Thanks for uploading.

[@johnsavold]

Think of this this and the consequences when you see parents with infants who are on their cell phones constantly.

[@sploofmcsterra4786]

Almost like individuals and jobs shouldn't be expecting people to be available on demand and still be able to raise a kid.

[@GurtMcDirt]

Man, I can't wait to have a little science project of my own!

[@iamthatiam363]

🙈

[@mikesgirl1988]

Ok, so I hope you don't have any

[@jvghibli]

@@mikesgirl1988They were being sarcastic.

[@wgcds7jyg897]

It’s fun to give babies the still face. 😂

[@31Sunshine]

😂

[@lizagates6252]

It's cool to watch these over the years, how these studies developed over time. I'm sure there could be great studies on how these early developmental interactions effected the collective consciousness, bc rheyve changed so much over the years. Ive never seen these studies done on depressed moms.

[@selfesteem3447]

So VITAL this is taught Just that I always notice when babies and domestic pets are referred to as IT. I prefer to hear he/she or the baby/the little one...etc✌️💛🤗🦋

[@marlenevideos8666]

I meet this man in 2016 for a first date at a restaurant. Now on a first date, you are on your best behavior. I don't know what I could have said, but suddenly he went blank faced and stopped talking and no longer looked in my eyes avoiding me, like the baby in the experiment here. I kept asking him what was wrong, but he kept silent and persisted in looking away. This was years ago, and this strange behavior I couldn't put a finger on until now. I never knew how vital that 1st. year is between mother & baby. This adult man obviously didn't develop healthy eye contact with his mom (or care person) when a baby. He and I never had another date.

[@coldcloakmusic6630]

Wow. I can relate to your comment. I dated someone like this for a year thinking the person’s lack of eye contact was due to disinterest in what I was saying or thinking I was boring or clingy...it was the most emotionally draining time of my life as I constantly(at the time) blamed myself for other people’s behavior...luckily I was able to move on to more emotionally engaging friends and partners but I still get creeped out by flat and none engaging people...

[@user-s3ts8my2x]

I feel bad for him that's quite sad

[@mandylee7377]

That man could have had Asperger's. It's not advisable to diagnose someone's character based off of a few interactions.

[@Cindy99765]

Yeah that sounds like autism possibly. Many people with autism struggle with eye contact and tend to fidget, which could come off as odd.

[@susanmcmullen7789]

Wow very true children need this connection ❤❤

[@selfesteem3447]

Not interacting w Babies causes negative ATTACHMENT STYLES OR ATTACHMENT THEORY ISSUES FOR A LIFETIME 👆

[@labgrrl7759]

The easiest way to break yourself of this if you're worried about the phone zone is to talk to the infant about what you are doing.

[@football4lifeap743]

The fact tgat this Psychologist referred to the baby as an "it" ovr and ovr

[@a.k.3659]

But it is a baby. You are a moron.

[@elsewherehouse]

So , if this one of few things that resonates, where do I go from here?

[@juniperstardust5549]

Start learning those skills nobody taught you as a kid. Learn to communicate and interact with others, that's what I did. Crate your own model of dynamic with other people, you were not given one, but that's fine, we get to create our own.

[@sandi21515]

Yes I see it but on the other hand, parents certainly can't spend their entire day interacting.

[@silverbushb448]

I think the issue is the quality of the interaction when the parents ARE interacting with their babies, rather than the quantity of interaction.

[@jasonvoorhees8899]

@@silverbushb448 👏 however I believe there should be a minimum of the times where parents are interacting with the kids.

[@HollieSavesBees]

Shut the fuck up sandi

[@prittyugly86]

Yes I read that some disconnect can be good for the baby to self sooth and gain independence. For sure tho some babies grew up thinking they were the center of the world for the first 3 years and they never got out of it and the parents lost interest after the baby became a toddler and now we got another shit person.

[@FruityHachi]

@@prittyugly86 what 0-3 year old child needs is a predictable pattern of responsive caregiver/s to develop secure attachment 0-3 year old cannot self-soothe, their neocortex is not developed yet, they rely on a parent to help them soothe they aren't able to know why the parent disconnects, what they do is that they personalize the diconnection, they think that they did something bad or that they're not loved anymore and that's why the parent is not coming and are trying to win back the caregiver's love when they're left to "self-soothe" what they're experiencing is stress, not calmness, they go into fight/flight/freeze mode, and they either go silent into freeze mode or develop "shutdown syndrome" a baby cannot be spoiled by attentive parenting but rather they develop a secure attachment if a child grows up thinking they're the center of the universe it's because they didn't receive emotional nurturing on a regular basis in early childhood and so their brain wasn't able to develop properly the baby will "gain independence" in a sense that they will be reluctant to express discomfort, recipe to develop avoidant attachment where later on in life the child will grow to be emotionally distant, numb, and they will hoard resources (attention etc) out of fear

[@user-no1nd6fp1o]

この子綺麗だねぇ

[@a.k.3659]

Η μάνα σου είναι καλύτερη.

[@noctemaeternam8376]

Too young? Hardly. Mother/infant connection can be seen and provoked in such ways as this on infants 4months on... I don't know why you'd think not but alright.

[@thecafcl8409]

Fuck. This is what happened to me

[@frasershort1]

That bairns well cute

[@user-ze2rl7ef3o]

Is it you?????

[@mr.t.1237]

Prime cause of psychopathy

[@marlenevideos8666]

Yes Tarik it is the prime cause for psychopathy. I meet a man at age 70 admitting to me he hunted for his victims in dating chat rooms. So you never knew anything about him, for he never left a profile at any of the online dating platforms. He told me he just listens. He is a convert narcisist- psychopath. It was frightening to listen to this on a first date. There were no more dates afterwards. Some online dating services don't require a greeting for the chat room. He I remember had a victim hood childhood with narcisst parents he told me. They he said, ignored him mostly and as he aged before adulthood, (19- 21) that he cost them too much money. That he was seen as a bill, not a child, a bill. A sad story for this tortured soul.

[@mr.t.1237]

@@marlenevideos8666 yes Marlene you are most correct

[@WickedPhase]

It could, but there are people out there with psychopathic tendencies that were raised perfectly fine, then still grow up to be a psychopath. Genetics are important too.

[@cychlone]

Why does she keep calling the baby an it

[@180Counseling]

Right?!?!

[@omni-purpose]

maybe she just wanted the listeners to treat the baby as a baby is all and not gender just because of the topic i think they are sweet caring people

[@g.m.robertson8700]

if you listen again, you hear the 'it' is not the only 'word'/pronoun being used in reference to 'the baby'. Seems just her way of not using the same discriptive reference. Are we not just watching for interaction/reaction of the child? not criticing the professional person.. or is someone trying to 'appear' more learned here ...

[@mts0628]

Meanwhile in my city they are touting the opening of a autism center. If these kids are truly autistic it is because of the lack of attention that they are getting from their social media addicted parents. I pray for our youth.

[@justsomenobody889]

scientists used to theorize that back in the 1960s, that lack of warmth and attention during early years caused autism, but the idea has been thoroughly debunked. Keep in mind people with autism have various physical maladies too like GI malabsorption and unusual nutrient deficiencies, surely that doesn't come from poor socializing. Emotional/social neglect in early childhood does definitely cause problems in children but it's called Attachment Disorder, it's a different condition.

[@maniac3607]

I was not born yet

[@ooogabooogaa]

You were born after 2016??

[@WickedPhase]

MY UNCLE LOVES MY UNDERPANTS The description says this vid was recorded in 1994 💀

[@rodneyleon3645]

We could have saved millions and told her we already knew this.

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

Why is she referring to the baby as "it", it's not an "it" it's a human, just like she is.

[@MarioRossi-sh4uk]

It's English grammar and rules, you ignorant. The pronoun for a baby is "it", neutral gender. It's not a form of disrespect. It's a rule followed by millions of people.

[@omni-purpose]

i think these are sweet people she just wanted it to be genderless due to the fact that is a baby :) and that baby becoming a "person" as she said. i believe they only wanted this to be treated as Baby to get the attention of parents without associating bias to a gender of the baby or else i would completely agree with ya sweetie. all good

[@zhuxiaoru2320]

没”0“，烤美啦啦啦啦。0 l9L。l

[@mondoflambe8522]

wear a mask save lives!

[@mcassis650]

please offer an evidence

[@williamwhaley3738]

Ponder the effects of parents constantly wearing a mask in the covid Era.

[@lanne-nl3jg]

They didn’t at home.

[@Eva-nv5lw]

@@lanne-nl3jgoh some morons sure did, you can bet that. You still see idiots alone in their own cars wearing them. It’s crazy. There’s a whole generation of emotionally jacked up kids about to land from that crap.

[@labgrrl7759]

If you were wearing a mask constantly while with close family you were probably doing it wrong.

[@conniestrawser5920]

TOTAL BULL..children don't need non stop attion 24.7....whoever made this is CLUELESS‼️💯😫😡

[@dreampastures]

You don't get it smh 🤦 You're seeing it as a job working 24 hours on the clock. The communication between you and your child should come out naturally in a genuine way. It shouldn't feel forced or seen as an inconvenience. If you love your child it's natural for you to want to talk with them, get to know them and spend time with them. If a mother doesn't have that desire then there's some kind of unresolved trauma.

[@everywherenowhere6901]

You've completely misunderstood the point and projected some personal rage issues onto this. The point is not to be focused on your child 24/7, but that when you interact in the course of the day to actually INTERACT with your child. Not ignore it and look at your phone. Not give it a cold, stony face, but to make eye contact, smile and give the child feedback with your expressions. Got it now? Babies mirror what you demonstrate to them. That is how they learn. If you want your child to grow up into a well balanced, secure, human, you need to treat it warmly, make eye contact, smile, give it positive feedback. That's how you make a human. If you don't do this, you end up with a personality disordered, insecure, cold, indifferent, narcissistic, emotionally dysregulated psychopath.

[@omni-purpose]

it's the difference between teaching a little Godly baby to feel shame or connection/spiritualness

[@g.m.robertson8700]

maybe so maybe not,,, snap judgements without all the background can be hurtfull.

[@kgpz100]

What color are you?

[@springerjerry9813]

Such bull crap

[@vincenzegreisingel2429]

Peculiar comment. It is substantially proven that non responsiveness undermines child development.

[@everywherenowhere6901]

Please don't breed