How still? Parent–infant interaction during the still-face and later infant attachment

Abstract

In the still-face episode of the Face-to-Face/Still-Face (FFSF), parents are asked to become unresponsive. However, infant–parent interaction may be irrepressible, and there is some evidence that interaction during the still-face is associated with attachment outcome. To explore these questions, we independently coded the continuous affective valence (negative to positive) of seventy-three 6-month-old infants (45 males; 36 Hispanic/Latinx; 38 White, 3 Black/African-American, 2 Asian, 30 multiracial) and their parents (M_age = 36 years; 5 males; 30 Hispanic/Latinx; 65 White, 3 Black/African-American, 2 Asian, 2 unknown) during the FFSF and assessed attachment at 15 months with the Strange Situation Procedure (n = 66). There was a mean positive correlation between moment-to-moment parent and infant affective valence, indicating synchronous affective interaction during the still-face (d = 0.63). Higher levels of affect interaction during the still-face episode were detected in infants later classified as disorganised compared to securely attached (d = 0.97). Findings underscore the importance of testing for still-face interaction and suggest that this interaction may be an unappreciated predictor of infant attachment outcomes.