CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

The Still-face Paradigm has been found to be an effective method for the assessment of emotion regulation, socio-cognitive abilities, and temperament in infants, as well as for the study of the mother-child relationship. Given the close bond that dogs have with humans, the purpose of this research was to evaluate, through an exploratory descriptive study, the presence of the Still- face effect in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). To this end, a group of Beagle dogs were exposed to an unknown experimenter who initially interacted actively and positively with each dog for one minute (Interaction phase). Then, suddenly, she interrupted the interaction and remained passive for one minute, with a non-expressive face and without speaking or petting the dog (Still-face phase). Finally, the experimenter reestablished the interaction through vocalizations and stroke for another one minute (Reunion phase). Our results showed a decrease in affiliative behaviors in dogs during the Still-face phase according to changes in the human?s behavior, a pattern similar to the one previously found in infants. A carry-over effect was also observed in the Reunion phase. Contrary to expectations, no stress-related behaviors were observed during the Still-face phase. This study provides knowledge about the human-dog interaction and the effects of its disruption on dogs.