Affect Regulation from a Movement Perspective: Shape-Flow in Embodied Parent-Child Interaction Jocelyn S. Shaw, M.A., K. Mark Sossin, Ph.D. & Stephen Salbod, M.S. Derner Institute, Adelphi University & Dept. of Psychology, Pace University New York, NY IntroductionMethodsDiscussion Hypotheses References Results 1.More Shape-Flow (KMP) movements (Bipolar & Unipolar) are likely to occur during regulatory interactions identified as Heightened Affect Episodes (HAEs). Bipolar Shape-Flow= two-directional, symmetrical expansion/contraction of the body. Unipolar Shape-Flow= one-directional, asymmetrical expansion/contraction of the body, toward or away from stimuli. HAEs= when child signaled heightened emotion by facial expression or body-movement followed by regulatory affect display by the parent, exaggerating some quality of the child’s initial response, while not mimicking exactly. 2. The child is likely to demonstrate more approach movements (Unipolar Shape-Flow movement towards parent or objects in the environment) after the parent responds to the child’s emotional expression in a regulatory and reflective manner. Beebe, B., Knoblauch, S., Rustin, J., Sorter, D., Jacobs, T.J., Pally, R. (2005). Forms of intersubjectivity in infant research and adult treatment. New York: Other Press. Birklein, S. B., & Sossin, K. M. (2006). Nonverbal indices of stress in parent-child dyads: implications for individual and interpersonal affect regulation and intergeneration transmission. In S.C. Koch & I. Brauniger (Eds.), Advances in dance/movement therapy: theoretical perspectives and empirical findings (pp ). Berlin: Logos Verlag. Clark, R. (1999). The Parent-Child Early Relational Assessment: A factorial validity study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, Vol. 55(5), Deckner, D., Adamson, L., & Bakeman, R. (2003). Rhythm in mother-infant interactions. Infancy, 4(2), Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E., Target, M. (2002). The social biofeedback theory of affect-mirroring: the development of emotional self-awareness and self-control in infancy. In Affect regulation, mentalization, and the development of the self (pp ). New York: Other Press. Gergely G. (2007). The social construction of the subjective self: the role of affect-mirroring, markedness, and ostensive communication in self development. In L. Mayes, P. Fonagy, & M. Target (Eds.), Developmental science and psychoanalysis. London, Karnac Books, 2007, pp 45–82. Jurist, E. (2005). Mentalized Activity. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 22(3), Kenny, A., Kashy, D., & Cook, W. (2006). Dyadic Data Analysis. New York: The Guilford Press. Kestenberg, J.S. & Sossin, K.M. (1979). The role of movement patterns in development. New York: Dance Notation Bureau Press. Kestenberg Amighi, J., Loman, S., Lewis, P., & Sossin, K.M. (1999). The meaning of movement: Developmental and clinical perspectives of the Kestenberg Movement Profile. New York: Brunner- Routledge. Loman, S. & Sossin, K.M. (2009). Applying the Kestenberg Movement Profile in dance/movement therapy: An introduction. In S. Chaiklin & H. Wengrower (Eds.), The art and science of dance/movement therapy: :life is dance ( ). New York: Routledge. Episodes of Heightened Affect (HAEs) were culled from videos of 23 parent-child pairs (children 11 to 53 months). Videos were taken from studies of parental stress in parent- child interactions (Birklein & Sossin 2006; Adams, 2005), structured by Early Relational Assessment (ERA) guidelines (Free Play/ Structured Play & Feeding) for dyadic observation (Clark, 1999). Shape-Flow (KMP) coding was carried out for 20 seconds intervals that included child’s heighted affected display, parent’s regulatory response and eight seconds prior to and eight seconds following this interaction. The 20 second data segments were divided into epochs of one second each and scored by two raters. For each second, KMP movement variables scored for children and adults included both Bipolar (two-directional movements extending from a center point in the body or body part) and Unipolar (one-directional movement towards or away from stimuli) movements. Within Bipolar and Unipolar, Growing elements representing expansion or outward movements (including Widening, Lengthening and Bulging) and Shrinking elements representing contraction or inward movement (including Narrowing, Shortening or Hollowing) were scored. Results show that Bipolar Widening, Bipolar Lengthening and Unipolar Lengthening Up, occurred at the highest levels during HAEs; these describe expanding movements that are two-directional laterally, two-directional vertically and one- directional upward in space respectively. These expansive movements suggest comfort in the environment and a comfort with self and with primary objects. Children and parents were widening their bodies to the sides, stretching themselves taller, including full-body movements, body parts such as hand motions and facial expressions. Children were also reaching and looking up to their parents and to toys of interest. Parents and children also shared similar amounts of expanding movements after HAEs, while they did not before or during HAEs, suggesting greater dyadic attunement. HAEs serve functions specific to context, individuality and the relationship between parent and child. Therapeutic interventions from this perspective facilitate increased awareness for therapist and parent regarding regulatory parent-child interactions. They also offer specific movement tools to implement increased support for parents in the process of implementing effective affect regulation for the child. Parents can learn to identify emotional responses and comfort-level more accurately in themselves and in their children with increased awareness to body shape. In turn, they can broaden their repertoire of regulatory responses in shaping the shared emotional experience. This study looks at processes of Affect Regulation between parent and child from a movement perspective, using the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) (Kestenberg & Sossin, 1979; Kestenberg, Amighi, Loman, Lewis & Sossin, 1999; Loman & Sossin, 2009). This study also examines dimensions of comfort-discomfort and approach-avoidance in the parent- child dialogue, and looks at the impact of affect regulation on dyadic harmony, defined as similarity between child and parent in certain movements of expansion and contraction. The study was carried out in the theoretical context of infancy research on markedness, (caregiver reflects infant’s affect, modified & attributed to infant) (Fonagy, Gergely, Jurist, Target, 2002), a component of affect- mirroring and a factor in the development of mentalization (Gergely, 2007). Table 1 Correlation between Parent-Child KMP Shape Flow Clusters Pre Middle a Post Grow * Shrink Total Note. KMP refers to Kestenberg Movement Profile. a Refers to Heightened Affect Episode of 4 seconds. *p<.05. **p<.01. ***p<.001. HAEs showed highest levels of Growing elements, (Bipolar Widening, Bipolar Lengthening and Unipolar Lengthening Up), for parent & child. HAEs best described by quadratic patterns. Parent and child movement patterns across time were positively correlated (p<.05) for clustered Growing (widening, lengthening, bulging in Bipolar & Unipolar) Shape-Flow movement POST Heightened Affect Episode.  Special Thanks to Wilma Bucci, Ph.D., Sean Murphy, M.A., Silvia Birklein, Ph.D. Katrina Adams Howlett, Ph.D., Ty Tedmon Jones, M.A., Scott Tedmon-Jones, M.A.