When is the still‐face not the still‐face: mothers' behavior in the face‐to‐face still‐face procedure and its relationship to infant arousal

The Face‐to‐Face Still‐Face (FF‐SF) procedure has been a popular paradigm to understand infant behavior. The current study examines the validity of mothers' behavior during the Still‐Face phase of the FF‐SF, especially the quality of her neutral face and its impact on infant arousal (N = 358 ethnically‐diverse mother–infant dyads, Mean infant age = 223 days, SD = 27 days). Results showed that more than half of the mothers in the sample breached one or more Still‐Face phase instructions; however, mothers' breaches of the Still‐Face instructions were unrelated to infant arousal (Skin Conductance Responses) during the FF‐SF. Additionally, facial analysis revealed that along with a neutral quality to the Still‐Face, mothers also displayed significant levels of facial emotion during the Still‐Face phase. Higher levels of scared and/or sad expressions during the Still‐Face were associated with higher infant arousal during the Still‐Face phase. The current study helps us to understand the real‐life implementation of the Still‐Face during the Face‐to‐Face Still‐Face paradigm. Results indicate that mothers show considerable non‐compliance with Still‐Face phase instructions, and the infant arousal levels are associated with emotional expressions contaminating the quality of mothers' neutral faces.