The primary aims of this grant are to: (1) evaluate the stability of individual differences in infants'behavior (positive and negative engagement, self-regulatory behaviors), vagal tone and cortisol response assessed during a social stress, maternal Face-to-Face Still-Face Paradigm over a 3- or a 6-month time interval;(2) evaluate infants'memory for the still-face over the 3- or 6-month time interval;and (3) evaluate the relation between infant reactivity and memory. Ten independent groups of mother-infant dyads (N = 340, n = 34 per group) balanced for infant gender will comprise the sample. Six groups will be randomly assigned to an experimental condition. For infants in the experimental condition, the 1st exposure to the FFSF will take place when the infants are 6, 9, or 12 months of age, and their respective 2nd exposure will be either 3 or 6 months later, at 9, 12, 15 or 18 months of age. Infants in the control condition will be videotaped once in the FFSF, at the age corresponding to the 2nd exposure for infants in the experimental conditions (at 9, 12, 15, or 18 months of age). For all groups measures of infant gaze during the SF will be coded as a measure of memory. Infants'vagal tone (VT), cortisol response, and negative engagement states and self-regulatory behaviors during the FFSF paradigm will be scored microanalytically from videotapes will be collected at each visit as measures of reactivity. Variations in infants'cardio-respiratory activity (vagal tone) will be assessed using the method developed by Porges, and cortisol response will be measured using salivary cortisol with methods developed by Gunnar. A measure of infant perceived temperament will be derived at each visit from temperament questionnaires completed by the mother: the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) for infants at 6, 9, or 12 months and the Toddler Assessment of Behavior Questionnaire (TABQ) for infants at 15 or 18 months of age. This study will provide valuable longitudinal on a standard and widely used stress paradigm and make a significant contribution to our understanding the stability of individual differences in infants'behavior, affect, physiological regulation, and memory during social stress.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD050459-03
Application #
7585664
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BBBP-J (95))
Program Officer
Freund, Lisa S
Project Start
2007-06-01
Project End
2012-03-31
Budget Start
2009-04-01
Budget End
2010-03-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$534,445
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
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Müller, Mitho; Zietlow, Anna-Lena; Tronick, Ed et al. (2015) What Dyadic Reparation Is Meant to Do: An Association with Infant Cortisol Reactivity. Psychopathology 48:386-99
Montirosso, Rosario; Provenzi, Livio; Tronick, Ed et al. (2014) Vagal tone as a biomarker of long-term memory for a stressful social event at 4 months. Dev Psychobiol 56:1564-74
Sravish, Akhila V; Tronick, Edward; Hollenstein, Tom et al. (2013) Dyadic flexibility during the face-to-face still-face paradigm: a dynamic systems analysis of its temporal organization. Infant Behav Dev 36:432-7
Montirosso, Rosario; Tronick, Ed; Morandi, Francesco et al. (2013) Four-month-old infants' long-term memory for a stressful social event. PLoS One 8:e82277
Montirosso, Rosario; Cozzi, Patrizia; Tronick, Ed et al. (2012) Differential distribution and lateralization of infant gestures and their relation to maternal gestures in the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. Infant Behav Dev 35:819-28
Tronick, Ed; Beeghly, Marjorie (2011) Infants' meaning-making and the development of mental health problems. Am Psychol 66:107-19
Beeghly, Marjorie; Tronick, Ed (2011) Early resilience in the context of parent-infant relationships: a social developmental perspective. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care 41:197-201