The Still-Face Effect: Methodological Issues and New Applications
Darwin Muir
Department of Psychology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Kang Lee
Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego

Over the last 25 years, the seemingly simple still-face phenomenon has elicited a tremendous amount of empirical and theoretical work. Adamson and Frick (2003/this issue) provide a comprehensive review and in-depth analysis of this large body of research. In our commentary, we focus on 3 major points. First, we described several methods to define operationally the still-face effect. Second, we noted the important role of adult touch in the still-face procedure, and that the effect can be reproduced without adult touch, by live, televised and “virtual” adult faces—making it a true “still-face” effect. Third, we emphasized a major methodological strength of the still-face procedure: the use of multiple response measures. By measuring both infant visual attention and affect responses, adaptations of the still-face procedure provide infant researchers with a powerful general method for studying the development of infant social competence.