Over the course of his esteemed career, he has received funding for hundreds of key studies in th... more Over the course of his esteemed career, he has received funding for hundreds of key studies in the US and abroad on normal and abnormal infant and child development-including his Mutual Regulation Model and Still-Face Paradigm, which revolutionized our understanding of infants' emotional capacities and coping-all of which led to critical contributions in the field. Much of his work serves as the benchmark for how mental health clinicians think about biopsychosocial states of consciousness, the process of meaning making, and how and why we engage with others in the world. Now, for the first time, Tronick has gathered together his most influential writings in a single, essential volume. Organized into five parts-(I) Neurobehavior, (II) Culture, (III) Infant Social-Emotional Interaction, (IV) Perturbations: Natural and Experimental, and (V) Dyadic Expansion of Consciousness and Meaning Making-this book represents his major ideas and studies regarding infant-adult interactions, developmental processes, and mutual regulation, carefully addressing such questions as: * What is a state of consciousness? * What are the developing infant's capacities for neurobehavioral self-organization? * How are early infant-adult interactions organized? * How can we understand the nature of normal versus abnormal development? * How do self and mutual regulation relate to developmental processes? * Is meaning making purely a function of the brain, or is it in our bodies as well? As a bonus, the book includes a DVD-ROM, with video clips of Tronick's Still-Face Paradigm, an invaluable teaching aid.
... The infant greets the mother but quickly sobers when she fails to respond. Then he greets her... more ... The infant greets the mother but quickly sobers when she fails to respond. Then he greets her again but this greeting is foreshortened and he turns away with a sober face and his chin tucked. He glances toward and away from her occasionally with brief smiles, but with her ...
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Dec 1, 1992
The neurobehavioral organization of 16 Efe Mbuti (pygmy) infants was examined over the first week... more The neurobehavioral organization of 16 Efe Mbuti (pygmy) infants was examined over the first weeks of life using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Mbuti infants are the smallest well-grown, full-term infants in the world, i.e., length and weight below the 10th percentile but ponderal index above the 50th percentile. The Efe infants are a relatively isolated population that allows for an evaluation of ethnic differences in newborn behavior; their small stature permits the examination of the relations among size, neurobehavioral organization, and morbid processes. The neurobehavioral organization of the Efe was compared with three groups of full-term infants: two full-statured, well-grown groups of infants, one African, one United States; and a group of symmetrically growth-retarded infants whose weight and length were proportionally compromised in utero. The behavioral organization of the Efe infants was found to be similar to the neurobehavior of the well-grown infants and superior to the group of growth-retarded infants. No unique neurobehavioral features were found compared with the other groups. These findings suggest that neurobehavioral organization has a universal form and that expected small size per se does not compromise infant behavior.
Zeitschrift Fur Psychosomatische Medizin Und Psychotherapie, Oct 1, 2003
The ontogenesis of moods and the process that establishes them is addressed. Moods arise out of n... more The ontogenesis of moods and the process that establishes them is addressed. Moods arise out of normal developmental processes at both a macro- and micro-developmental level. Moods are part of normal development as well as a component of pathological processes and they are a ubiquitous presence that gives meaning to experience in infant and adult during daily life and therapy. In this first part of a two-part paper I will address the normal development of moods; in the second part I will to address issues related to psychopathology and therapy, especially depression and the intergenerational transfer of mood. I argue that moods are dyadic phenomena--something that develops out of the chronic co-creative interactions of two individuals--rather than solely being an intrapsychic process. I will also argue, especially when one considers the development of moods in infants, that moods make sense of the world as components of states of consciousness that give unique meaning to the individual's engagement with the world and further that moods function to bring the past into the present.
OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if variations in maternal care alter DNA methylation in term, ... more OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if variations in maternal care alter DNA methylation in term, healthy, 5-month-old infants. This work was based on landmark studies in animal models demonstrating that nurturing care by dams would alter their newborns’ stress responses through epigenetic mechanisms. We used breastfeeding as a proxy for animal maternal behavior. We hypothesized alterations in DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene and less hypothalamic stress response in infants of mothers who breastfed their infants versus infants of mothers who did not breastfeed. METHODS: A cohort study of term, healthy infants and their mothers who did (n = 21) or did not (n = 21) breastfeed for the first 5 months was used in this analysis. Cortisol stress reactivity was measured in infant saliva by using a mother-infant interaction procedure and DNA methylation of an important regulatory region of the glucocorticoid receptor gene. Changes in DNA methylation of this gene in humans w...
The main aim of this study was to ascertain whether infants as young as 3 months of age, whose mo... more The main aim of this study was to ascertain whether infants as young as 3 months of age, whose mothers suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), are already at risk of greater dysregulation than infants of mothers without BPD when faced with a minor stressful experience. Nineteen mothers diagnosed with BPD and 41 controls with no history of psychopathology and their 3-month-old infants were observed using Tronick's Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. The authors found that infants whose mothers have BPD express less positive vocalizations and less nonautonomic self-regulation than infants of mothers with no psychopathology. The stress of the Still-Face episode affects their gaze and self-regulation behaviors more strongly than those of infants of controls. The Reunion episode seems particularly challenging for mothers with BPD, who show fewer smiles and an increase in intrusive behavior. Because infants and their mothers with BPD are already dysregulated at 3 months postpartum, envisaging very early intervention seems warranted.
In this chapter, we focus on the emergence of self-regulatory processes during infancy, as framed... more In this chapter, we focus on the emergence of self-regulatory processes during infancy, as framed in biopsychosocial context. We begin with a brief review of the neurobiological underpinnings of early self-regulatory processes and how self-regulatory systems develop in early childhood. Next, given that infants come into the world highly dependent on caregiver support for their survival, we argue that the emergence of self-regulation occurs primarily in a relational context, and that the capacity for self-regulation reflects both self- and parent–infant co-regulatory processes. We also provide evidence to show that variations in these early self- and parent–infant regulatory processes are linked to children’s resilient or maladaptive functioning in later life. We illustrate our arguments with findings from developmental research on self-regulation in at-risk populations and in diverse contextual–cultural settings. After a brief discussion of the implications of this literature for pr...
Over the course of his esteemed career, he has received funding for hundreds of key studies in th... more Over the course of his esteemed career, he has received funding for hundreds of key studies in the US and abroad on normal and abnormal infant and child development-including his Mutual Regulation Model and Still-Face Paradigm, which revolutionized our understanding of infants' emotional capacities and coping-all of which led to critical contributions in the field. Much of his work serves as the benchmark for how mental health clinicians think about biopsychosocial states of consciousness, the process of meaning making, and how and why we engage with others in the world. Now, for the first time, Tronick has gathered together his most influential writings in a single, essential volume. Organized into five parts-(I) Neurobehavior, (II) Culture, (III) Infant Social-Emotional Interaction, (IV) Perturbations: Natural and Experimental, and (V) Dyadic Expansion of Consciousness and Meaning Making-this book represents his major ideas and studies regarding infant-adult interactions, developmental processes, and mutual regulation, carefully addressing such questions as: * What is a state of consciousness? * What are the developing infant's capacities for neurobehavioral self-organization? * How are early infant-adult interactions organized? * How can we understand the nature of normal versus abnormal development? * How do self and mutual regulation relate to developmental processes? * Is meaning making purely a function of the brain, or is it in our bodies as well? As a bonus, the book includes a DVD-ROM, with video clips of Tronick's Still-Face Paradigm, an invaluable teaching aid.
... The infant greets the mother but quickly sobers when she fails to respond. Then he greets her... more ... The infant greets the mother but quickly sobers when she fails to respond. Then he greets her again but this greeting is foreshortened and he turns away with a sober face and his chin tucked. He glances toward and away from her occasionally with brief smiles, but with her ...
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Dec 1, 1992
The neurobehavioral organization of 16 Efe Mbuti (pygmy) infants was examined over the first week... more The neurobehavioral organization of 16 Efe Mbuti (pygmy) infants was examined over the first weeks of life using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Mbuti infants are the smallest well-grown, full-term infants in the world, i.e., length and weight below the 10th percentile but ponderal index above the 50th percentile. The Efe infants are a relatively isolated population that allows for an evaluation of ethnic differences in newborn behavior; their small stature permits the examination of the relations among size, neurobehavioral organization, and morbid processes. The neurobehavioral organization of the Efe was compared with three groups of full-term infants: two full-statured, well-grown groups of infants, one African, one United States; and a group of symmetrically growth-retarded infants whose weight and length were proportionally compromised in utero. The behavioral organization of the Efe infants was found to be similar to the neurobehavior of the well-grown infants and superior to the group of growth-retarded infants. No unique neurobehavioral features were found compared with the other groups. These findings suggest that neurobehavioral organization has a universal form and that expected small size per se does not compromise infant behavior.
Zeitschrift Fur Psychosomatische Medizin Und Psychotherapie, Oct 1, 2003
The ontogenesis of moods and the process that establishes them is addressed. Moods arise out of n... more The ontogenesis of moods and the process that establishes them is addressed. Moods arise out of normal developmental processes at both a macro- and micro-developmental level. Moods are part of normal development as well as a component of pathological processes and they are a ubiquitous presence that gives meaning to experience in infant and adult during daily life and therapy. In this first part of a two-part paper I will address the normal development of moods; in the second part I will to address issues related to psychopathology and therapy, especially depression and the intergenerational transfer of mood. I argue that moods are dyadic phenomena--something that develops out of the chronic co-creative interactions of two individuals--rather than solely being an intrapsychic process. I will also argue, especially when one considers the development of moods in infants, that moods make sense of the world as components of states of consciousness that give unique meaning to the individual's engagement with the world and further that moods function to bring the past into the present.
OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if variations in maternal care alter DNA methylation in term, ... more OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine if variations in maternal care alter DNA methylation in term, healthy, 5-month-old infants. This work was based on landmark studies in animal models demonstrating that nurturing care by dams would alter their newborns’ stress responses through epigenetic mechanisms. We used breastfeeding as a proxy for animal maternal behavior. We hypothesized alterations in DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene and less hypothalamic stress response in infants of mothers who breastfed their infants versus infants of mothers who did not breastfeed. METHODS: A cohort study of term, healthy infants and their mothers who did (n = 21) or did not (n = 21) breastfeed for the first 5 months was used in this analysis. Cortisol stress reactivity was measured in infant saliva by using a mother-infant interaction procedure and DNA methylation of an important regulatory region of the glucocorticoid receptor gene. Changes in DNA methylation of this gene in humans w...
The main aim of this study was to ascertain whether infants as young as 3 months of age, whose mo... more The main aim of this study was to ascertain whether infants as young as 3 months of age, whose mothers suffer from borderline personality disorder (BPD), are already at risk of greater dysregulation than infants of mothers without BPD when faced with a minor stressful experience. Nineteen mothers diagnosed with BPD and 41 controls with no history of psychopathology and their 3-month-old infants were observed using Tronick's Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm. The authors found that infants whose mothers have BPD express less positive vocalizations and less nonautonomic self-regulation than infants of mothers with no psychopathology. The stress of the Still-Face episode affects their gaze and self-regulation behaviors more strongly than those of infants of controls. The Reunion episode seems particularly challenging for mothers with BPD, who show fewer smiles and an increase in intrusive behavior. Because infants and their mothers with BPD are already dysregulated at 3 months postpartum, envisaging very early intervention seems warranted.
In this chapter, we focus on the emergence of self-regulatory processes during infancy, as framed... more In this chapter, we focus on the emergence of self-regulatory processes during infancy, as framed in biopsychosocial context. We begin with a brief review of the neurobiological underpinnings of early self-regulatory processes and how self-regulatory systems develop in early childhood. Next, given that infants come into the world highly dependent on caregiver support for their survival, we argue that the emergence of self-regulation occurs primarily in a relational context, and that the capacity for self-regulation reflects both self- and parent–infant co-regulatory processes. We also provide evidence to show that variations in these early self- and parent–infant regulatory processes are linked to children’s resilient or maladaptive functioning in later life. We illustrate our arguments with findings from developmental research on self-regulation in at-risk populations and in diverse contextual–cultural settings. After a brief discussion of the implications of this literature for pr...
Uploads