Autonomic Regulatory Interaction in Early Life: An ITI exploration of mothers' sensitivity and psychological distress and their 3-4-month old infants' stress regulation responses during technoference

Caregiver-child interactions are critical for children’s socio-emotional, behavioral, and autonomic development. However, the widespread smartphone use, even during caregiving moments, raises questions about its impact on caregiver-infant connections (Barr et al., 2020; Vanden Abeele et al., 2020; Wolfers et al., 2020; Yuan et al., 2019. To address this, our study employs Infrared Thermal Imaging (ITI), a non-invasive method (Ioannou et al., 2014) to measure Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activity via facial skin temperature changes. Prior studies with children have demonstrated significant thermal fluctuations reflecting autonomic change (Ioannou et al., 2013; Aureli et al., 2015; Ebisch et al., 2012). We modify the classic Face-to-Face Still Face (FFSF) paradigm (Tronick et al., 1978) to investigate how caregiver smartphone use influences infant reactions, pioneering the use of ITI in this context. We hypothesize that smartphone use during the still-face would engage infants sympathetic reactivity, reflected in nasal and forehead temperature decreases. Simultaneously, we use FLIR thermal cameras and a 360 camera to record behavioral states and skin temperature changes. Additionally, we employ PSS, GAD, and EPDS self-report measures to assess maternal psychological distress. Preliminary findings reveal a significant link between caregiver smartphone use and child distress behaviors, evident in reduced thermal forehead temperatures, decreases in positive affect and more gaze aversion during smartphone interference. Maternal nurturing touch correlates with infant thermal responses during social interference, while maternal psychological distress associates with specific infant behavioral changes, including maternal-face gaze and positive affect during free play. Our study contributes to the understanding of the impact of smartphone use on infant development, emphasizing the need for interventions and guidelines promoting mindful caregiver-child interactions in the digital age. As part of the ARIEL project, we explore the intricate dynamics among caregiver smartphone use, maternal health, and infant bio-behavioral responses, shedding light on this critical aspect of infant development in the modern world. Keywords: Infrared Thermal Imaging, Technoference, Stress, Still Face, Affectivity, Maternal Sensitivity, Autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation, synchrony