Premium
Face‐to‐face interaction in term and preterm infants
Author(s) -
Fox Nathan A.,
Gelles Michael G.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0355(198424)5:4<192::aid-imhj2280050403>3.0.co;2-m
Subject(s) - facial expression , vagal tone , facial action coding system , developmental psychology , psychology , term (time) , audiology , face to face interaction , nonverbal communication , social relation , heart rate , medicine , heart rate variability , communication , social psychology , endocrinology , physics , quantum mechanics , blood pressure
Previous research has found that mothers of preterm infants work harder in a face‐to‐face situation with their infants than mothers of term infants. Data have also revealed that preterm infants are less responsive than term infants in a social interaction. To date, there have been few studies that have attempted to determine the range of facial expressive cues that preterms may be emitting or the possible physiological basis for this behavior. In an attempt to investigate these questions, preterm and term infants were observed in a face‐to‐face situation. Prior to the session, three minutes of resting EKG was recorded. The infant's facial behavior was coded with a discrete facial action coding system. Maternal behavior was also coded. Measures of heart rate as well as short and long term variability were computed. Results revealed no differences in facial lability or in facial expressiveness between term and preterm infant. In addition, there were no differences in maternal behavior to either term or preterm. There were, however, reliable contingent relationships between facial expression of the infant and maternal behavior. In addition, there was a significant association between short term variability (vagal tone) and infant facial behavior.