TransParent | Tampere University

The goal of the TransParent project is to investigate changes in the behavioral, physiological, and hormonal responses to infant, child, and adult facial and vocal signals during the transition to parenthood. Our studies include laboratory assessments for parents of young infants, participants expecting their first child, as well as participants without children of their own. TransParent can make a major contribution to parenting science by increasing our understanding of the influence of the transition to parenthood on core elements of parent-infant interaction.

Background

Recent research suggests that particularly during pregnancy, major changes in hormonal processes as well as brain structure and function take place. Such changes may affect how we respond to emotions, interact with others, and they may be critical for successful adaptation to the challenges of parenthood. However, there is surprisingly little research systematically investigating the potential changes in responses to social signals particularly infant signals across the transition to parenthood, which was the main motivation for starting the TransParent project. Systematic tracking of prenatal responses to infant signals will open new opportunities to predict and support future parents already during the expectation of the child.