# Maternal technoference decreases brain-to-brain synchrony during mother-infant interaction

## TL;DR

Using smartphones during mother-infant interactions reduces brain communication between them, but this communication can recover when the mother reengages.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that maternal technoference disrupts brain-to-brain synchrony, which can be restored upon reengagement.

## Key findings

- Maternal smartphone use decreases mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony.
- Brain-to-brain synchrony returns to baseline levels after the mother reengages with the infant.

## Abstract

Face-to-face interactions between parents and infants are crucial for healthy infant development. In today’s world, these interactions are frequently disrupted by parental distraction by technological devices, a phenomenon known as technoference. This study aimed to investigate the effects of technoference on mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony – a measure for how well two brains are communicating. Previous research has shown that greater brain-to-brain synchrony may reflect higher sensitive caregiving, while lower synchrony reflects higher intrusive caregiving. A total of 33 mother-infant dyads participated in a modified Still-Face Paradigm incorporating maternal smartphone distraction. Dual-EEG was employed to measure mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony which was subsequently quantified using weighted Phase Lag Index (wPLI). Results revealed that, as expected, mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony was decreased during the smartphone interruptions. Additionally, brain-to-brain synchrony between mother and infant went back to baseline during reunion. Overall, these findings align with previous research emphasizing the potential disruptive effect of smartphones in parent-infant interactions, but also suggest that mother-infant brain-to-brain synchrony can be restored when the mother re-engages in the interaction.