The still face experiment

Summary

Part of the exercise is to watch a short video (available on YouTube) showing the still face experiment. After viewing, think about how it relates to PFA and/or to personal experiences in crisis situations

  • Module
  • Intervention
  • Submodules
  • Psychological & Social First Aid
  • Group size
  • Individual
  • Small group
  • Duration
  • 15 min
Course code: M2S6A2-EN
Category: Online Material
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
CC - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives

Keywords

Still face experiment, PFA (Psychological First Aid).

Aims

To raise the awareness of good communication in PFA.

Participants

Individual or group.

Description

Participant(s) watch a short video demonstrating Still face experiment. It is a well-known experiment in psychology which involves a baby and his/her parent. After some short interaction the parent stops giving back any verbal or nonverbal signals. Soon after, the baby gets visibly distressed. After the video a participant is encouraged to think and write down thoughts (individual on paper, group on flip chart through group discussion) on following questions:

- how did it make them feel watching the video?

- what is the relation with basic PFA principles?

- how does it relate to their own personal experiences with people in crisis?  

Material

video (YouTube), pen and paper, flipchart

Method

Observation and discussion.

Advice for Facilitators

Facilitate with additional questions or encourage them to try it for themselves.

Source (APA)

[UMass Boston]. (2009, Nov 30). Still Face Experiment: Dr. Edward Tronick [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0

Handouts

Video. View the link here.

Contributor

Aleksandra Stevanović (MEDRI).

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