Still-face procedure

A procedure in which a person, usually the caregiver, after interacting in a normal manner and on instruction, becomes unresponsive (i.e., does not use facial or vocal cues). This usually results in changes in the infant‚was state (e.g., crying), attention or affect. It is taken to indicate that the young infant (typically, 2-3 months-of-age) has some form of communicative awareness.