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Dr. Ed Tronick, director of UMass Boston's new Infant-Parent Mental Health Program http://ccde.umb.edu/certificat​es/infant-parent-mental-health/ and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, discusses the cognitive abilities of infants to read and react to their social surroundings. The video is an exerpt from Lovett Productions' , HELPING BABIES FROM THE BENCH: USING THE SCIENCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD IN COURT.


Using the "Still Face" Experiment, in which a mother denies her baby attention for a short period of time, Dr. Tronick describes how prolonged lack of attention can move an infant from good socialization, to periods of bad but repairable socialization. In "ugly" situations the child does not receive any chance to return to the good, and may become stuck.

For more information of Infant-Parent Mental Health: http://ccde.umb.edu/certificat​es/infant-parent-mental-health/

To hear about Dr. Tronick's latest work visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmE3NfB_HhE To support the Infant-Parent Mental Health program: https://www.umb.edu/ua/giving/​give_online.php and note the program in the "other" field.