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.