Article summary
Neonatal Smiling:
A Developmental Puzzle
Structure of your paper
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Use these headings after your title
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Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Incorporate the main ideas of each section
in this presentation
 You do not need sub-headings
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What’s the big question/picture?
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What is your research question?
How do the results of this study address your
research question
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What the study is specifically about
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1 - 2 sentences
E.g., Fox and Davidson (1988) examined the
relationship between brain activity and facial
expressions of emotion.
Example
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Big question: Are neonatal smiles
expressions of joy?
How Sleeping Neonates Smile
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Daniel Messinger1, Marco Dondi2, G. Christina
Nelson-Goens3, Alessia Beghi2, Alan Fogel3, and
Francesca Simion2
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Infants over one month of age, tend to produce two types of smiling
during positive social interactions, open mouth smiles and Duchenne
smiles involving high cheek raising. Little is known, however, about
the prevalence, frequency, and duration of these smiles during the
neonatal period. 25 full-term, healthy neonates (12 female) were
videotaped during six minutes of sleep. Smiles were identified and
analyzed using an anatomically based coding system (FACS/Baby
FACS). One half of the neonates showed bilateral Duchenne smiles.
One quarter of the neonates showed bilateral Duchenne smiles at a
mature level of intensity whose median duration was 1 1/3 s. By
contrast, open mouth bilateral smiles occurred in less than one tenth of
the sample. The contrast between the more frequent bilateral Duchenne
smiles and the less frequent open mouth smile is discussed in terms of
clues to the potential emotional significance of early smiling and the
What was known
Endogenous smiles while asleep (REM)
 Not more frequent after feeding
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Not gas
More smiling in premature infants
 Smiling in microcephalic infant
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More what was known
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Different kinds of smiles
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Non-Duchenne smiles =
 Lip
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 See
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corner raise only =
Zygomatic Major contraction
Picture
Duchenne smiles =
 Lip
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corner raise + Cheek Raise =
Zygomatic Major + Orbicularis Oculi contraction
In older folks
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Adult Duchennes
associated with
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Viewing pleasant films
Self-reports of
happiness during films
No association for nonDuchenne smiles
Ekman et al., 1990
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10-Month-Old
Duchennes associated
with
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Mother’s smiling
approach
Left frontal cerebral
activation (EEG)
Fox & Davidson, 1988
Intro: The question
(“The goal. . .”)
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The gap
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Duchenne smiles in neonates?
Leads to the research question
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The overall goal of this study was to document
different forms of smiling in sleeping neonates.
Specifically, we investigated the organization,
prevalence, frequency, and duration of neonatal
Duchenne and open mouth smiles for clues to
their functional significance.
Methods
Who
 What
 When
 How
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 Where
(title page)
Methods:
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Who? (Participants)
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25 (12 female) healthy neonates
Mean Age = 55 hours, Mdn. = 50; range 5 –
106)
What?
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Videotaped for six minutes while asleep
Full-screen image of the neonate's full face
How specifically?
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What was measured?
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Does it makes sense in terms of the research
question?
 E.g.,
are variables valid?
Coding
Anatomically based FACS coding
 Two actions
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Two strengths
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1) Lip corners 2) Cheeks
a) Its there b/x) Its clear
Reliability
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Prevalence: 80-90% per infant
Frequency: High % of variance accounted for
Results
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What are the answers to the research
questions?
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“An Analysis of variance showed . . .”
This is where reality meets theory.
Results often have multiple layers or sections.
Very important: Know this section of your
article cold..
Results: Bilateral Duchenne
smiles
(see Table)
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Prevalence (how many, % of kids)
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Frequency (how much)
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1/2 weak or strong, 1/4 strong
Same as non-Duchenne
1 every 5 minutes
 Same as non-Duchenne
Duration (how long)
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1 sec. +
Same as non-Duchenne
Table 1. Neonatal Smiles
Bilateral
Number of
Infants (%)
Rate per
Minute (SD)
Median
Duration
Mean Duration
(SD)
Unilateral
Number of
Infants (%)
Rate per
Minute (SD)
Median
Duration
Mean Duration
(SD)
Non-Duchenne Smiles
‘a’
‘b/x’
All
Level
Level
Levels
14 / 25 6 / 25
17 / 25
(56%) (24%)
(68%)
.16
(.19)
1.00
.07
(.15)
.86
.23
(.23)
1.00
Duchenne Smiles
‘a’
‘b/x’
All
Level Level Levels
10 /
6 / 25 13 / 25
25
(24%) (52%)
(40%)
.13
.06
.21
(.23)
(.14)
(.29)
.94
1.35
.95
1.06
(.67)
.84
(.35)
.93
(.39)
.94
(.45)
1.58
(1.27)
1.07
(.56)
14 / 25
(56%)
.13
(.15)
.67
4 / 25
(16%)
.04
(.10)
1.00
15 / 25
(60%)
.17
(.21)
.70
6 / 25
(24%)
.07
(.14)
.62
2 / 25
(8%)
.03
(.08)
1.15
8 / 25
(32%)
.09
(.15)
.62
.95
(.69)
1.63
(1.60)
1.04
(.78)
.88
(.70)
1.15
(.78)
.87
(.55)
Results: Duchenne vs. openmouth
Lots of Duchenne smiles
 Few open mouth (jaw drop) smiles
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8% (2/25) versus 84% (21/25) of neonates
.02 versus .41 times per minute
Discussion
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Recap
Other results
Why? Explanation
What’s the big picture?
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Limitations
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What does it mean?
Next steps
Your next steps?
Discussion:
Recap and other results
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Duchenne smiles
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1/2 of neonates, overall once per 5 minutes …
Last one second, stronger ones 1.5
All smiles
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Once per 2-3 minutes
Greater than Emde
Anatomical coding
Why?
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Do neonatal (Duchenne) smiles express joy?
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Are they emotional
Are they the product of a motor synergy?
Duchenne and open mouth both may index
positive emotion in older infants
Only Duchenne smiles involve a motor synergy
Duchenne smiles much more frequent in neonates
What’s the big picture?
Can even mature smiles in sleeping
neonates indicate joy?
 Do the smiles of sleeping neonates
influence later smiles while waking and
social interaction?
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Discussion - Limitations
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What are the limitations of the study?
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Use other scientific sources, including the
textbook, to put the study in perspective.
What do the authors think should be done next?
 Suggestions
for further research
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