Maternal touch is considered crucial in regulating infants’ internal states when facing unknown or distressing situations. Here, we explored the effects of maternal touch on 7-month-old infants’ preferences towards emotions. Infants’ looking times were measured through a two-trial preferential looking paradigm, while infants observed dynamic videos of happy and angry facial expressions. During the observation, half of the infants received an affective touch (i.e., stroke), while the other half received a non-affective stimulation (i.e., fingertip squeeze) from their mother. Further, we assessed the frequency of maternal touch in the mother-infant dyad through The Parent-Infant Caregiving Touch Scale (PICTS). Our results have shown that infants’ attention to angry and happy facial expressions varied as a function of both present and past experiences with maternal touch. Specifically, in the affective touch condition, as the frequency of previous maternal affective tactile care increased (PICTS), the avoidance of angry faces decreased. Conversely, in the non-affective touch condition, as the frequency of previous maternal affective tactile care increased (PICTS), the avoidance of angry faces increased as well. Thus, past experience with maternal affective touch is a crucial predictor of the regulatory effects that actual maternal touch exerts on infants’ visual exploration of emotional stimuli.

Addabbo, M., Licht, V., Turati, C. (2021). Past and present experiences with maternal touch affect infants’ attention toward emotional faces. INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT, 63(May 2021) [10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101558].

Past and present experiences with maternal touch affect infants’ attention toward emotional faces

Addabbo, Margaret
;
Licht, Victoria;Turati, Chiara
2021

Abstract

Maternal touch is considered crucial in regulating infants’ internal states when facing unknown or distressing situations. Here, we explored the effects of maternal touch on 7-month-old infants’ preferences towards emotions. Infants’ looking times were measured through a two-trial preferential looking paradigm, while infants observed dynamic videos of happy and angry facial expressions. During the observation, half of the infants received an affective touch (i.e., stroke), while the other half received a non-affective stimulation (i.e., fingertip squeeze) from their mother. Further, we assessed the frequency of maternal touch in the mother-infant dyad through The Parent-Infant Caregiving Touch Scale (PICTS). Our results have shown that infants’ attention to angry and happy facial expressions varied as a function of both present and past experiences with maternal touch. Specifically, in the affective touch condition, as the frequency of previous maternal affective tactile care increased (PICTS), the avoidance of angry faces decreased. Conversely, in the non-affective touch condition, as the frequency of previous maternal affective tactile care increased (PICTS), the avoidance of angry faces increased as well. Thus, past experience with maternal affective touch is a crucial predictor of the regulatory effects that actual maternal touch exerts on infants’ visual exploration of emotional stimuli.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Affective touch, Maternal touch, Infants, Emotions, Frequency of touch, Looking times;
English
6-apr-2021
2021
63
May 2021
101558
none
Addabbo, M., Licht, V., Turati, C. (2021). Past and present experiences with maternal touch affect infants’ attention toward emotional faces. INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT, 63(May 2021) [10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101558].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/311092
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