Different Kinds of Infants´ Smiles in the First Six Months and Contingency to Maternal Affective Behavior

Abstract

Infants' smiling is considered an expression of affection, and an index of cognitive and socio-emotional development. Despite research advances in this area, there is much to explore on the ontogeny of smiling, its meaning and the context in which it is manifested early in life. This study aimed at: (a) investigating smiling patterns in these different developmental moments in early infancy, (b) analyzing patterns of association between babies' smiles and their mothers' affective behaviors, and (c) verifying whether babies can answer contingently, with smiles, to mothers' affective behaviors. Participants were sixty Brazilian mother-infant dyads. Infants in three age levels (one, three, and five months of age) and their mothers were observed. They were videotaped at home, during 20 minutes in free sessions. The results indicate increase in frequency of infants' smiling instances across ages (F(2, 59) = 9.18, p < .05), variations in the frequency of maternal behaviors accompanying the variations in infants' smiling (F(2, 59) = 6.03, p < .05), correlations between infants' smiling and mothers' affective behaviors, and contingency between the behaviors of both mothers and infants. It was verified a strong association between mothers' behavior and their babies' smiles, emphasizing the importance of affective interactions in early stages of development.

Adaptation of babies in three types of placement: An ethological approach

“…In addition, RC infants were irregular in the use of facial expressions and grasping/manipulation from one observation session to another. As these behaviours are generally emitted in response to adults’ solicitations (Mendes & Seidl‐de‐Moura, 2014; Molina & Jouen, 2004; Nagy et al, 2013), their variable emission may well reflect the instability of the milieu. Stimulated differently by the various childcare workers, the babies reacted differently.…”

“…Smiles and vocalizations are present at birth and increase in frequency over the first months largely as the result of parental reactions (Hsu, Fogel, & Messinger, 2001;Mendes & Seidl-de-Moura, 2014). At first the smile is rare, but it increases in frequency over the first weeks up to the point of becoming a social smile at around age 2 months (Lavelli & Fogel, 2005).…”

Trocas afetivas mãe-bebê e metas de socialização emocional // Affective exchanges and maternal goals of socialization of emotions.

“…visto por mães de alguns contextos socioculturais como expressão de felicidade (Nunes et al, 2018) e afeto ideal (Wefers, Schwarz, Chacón, & Kärtner, 2022), ocorre predominantemente quando a mãe está sorrindo e o bebê olhando para sua face (Messinger, Fogel, & Dickson, 2001) e tende a aumentar sua frequência quando a mãe vocaliza ou sorri, provocando respostas contingentes (Mendes & Seidl-de-Moura, 2014). Assim, a dinâmica interativa inclui predisposições do bebê, seus desdobramentos e aspectos que emergem do processo de desenvolvimento e pode ser pensada como decorrente de herança filogenética associada a possibilidades, limitações, expectativas e valores próprios do contexto sociocultural em que se vive e que forjam uma trajetória ontogenética.…”

Video-feedback intervention in mother-baby dyads with depressive symptomatology and relationship difficulties

“…For this reason, the post-partum environment and the early interpersonal experiences between a child and his/her main caregivers will influence the structural and functional evolution of his/her brain, his/her development, and his/her future mental health (Storfer, 1999;Schore, 2000;Mendes & Seidl-de-Moura, 2014).…”