Focuses on three questions related to attachment theory: whether it requires distinct patterns of attachment, how taxonomic analysis contributes to understanding individual differences in attachment security, and whether attachment theorists are asking the right questions. Asserts that attachment theory is indifferent to the structure of…

Discusses four questions concerning commentaries on the taxometric analysis of Strange Situation behavior related to: (1) whether the categorical model of attachment facilitates theoretical and empirical innovations; (2) whether and how a continuum of security fits into the two-dimensional model; (3) the role of types and dimensions in…

Reports developmental outcomes of a child who experienced a tracheostomy and had prolonged hospitalization and psychomotor therapy in an intensive care unit. Found a pattern of delay in speech and language production with no hearing loss, no cognitive impairment, an average level of fine motor disorders, no behavioral disorders, and normal…

Reviews research on the development of intentional communication between adult and child. Suggests that the communicative partnership between caregiver and child is dynamic, functioning to assist in the developmental achievements of the child and also functioning as a mechanism for socializing the child and his or her partner into the appropriate…

Discusses how parents can discipline their children successfully. Distinguishes between punishment, permissiveness, and discipline. Provides parents with guidelines on positive steps in disciplining their children with practices that are appropriate to the child's age and developmental level, especially infants, toddlers, and preschool children.…

Examined the concordance between mother-infant attachment behavior and patterns of mother-child reunion responses when the children were age six. Found that concordance between four types of attachment status was 82%. Also found a correlation between children's observed social competence at age five and their reunion patterns at age six. (MDM)

Describes behaviors of infants, toddlers, and their center caregivers at entry and after three and six months of group care. Longitudinal data revealed increased activity/interest and peer interaction and a decline in negative affect and adult interaction/contact during the first three months. Age-matched group comparisons revealed improvements in…

Mothers of 23 infants with developmental disabilities were given suggestions for ways to interact in a contingently responsive manner. Compared to a control group, the interaction coaching group mothers increased responsivity and decreased stimulation, and the infants were less fussy and performed better on developmental assessments. (Author/JDD)

Examined effects of prenatal drug exposure on infants born preterm and full-term to African American mothers. Found more extreme fetal growth deficits in later-born infants, and more extreme irritability increases in earlier-born infants. Gestation length did not moderate cardiorespiratory reactivity effects. Exposure effects occurred for…

Reviews research on the developmental roots of nurturance in young children. Examines child characteristics (age, sex); characteristics of the nurtured object (infants and their behaviors); and aspects of the nurturing situation (adult involvement and encouragement). Implications for furture research and child care practices are suggested. (BB)

Reviews studies of infant behavior and development. Delineates a behavioral hypothesis relating prenatal and neonatal risk factors in infancy to crib death. The mutual dependence of experience and neurostructural development suggests that infancy is a period of critical learning experiences. (Author/RH)

Explores differences in temperament of preterm and full-term infants at three and six months of age. Preterm infants were generally rated more difficult than full-term infants at both ages. All infants were generally rated less difficult at six than at three months. (Author/BB)

Examined utility of the Attachment Q-set (AQS) instrument for cross-cultural comparisons of mother-child interactions. Found that interpretations concerning the structure of attachment and other social domains made on the basis of Q-sort descriptions of middle-class English-speaking U.S. children need not be substantially modified when…

Compared Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles of 1- to 6-month olds during weekly videotapes of mother/infant interaction for clues regarding emotional significance. Correlated levels of Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiling within sessions; found that they had similar developmental trajectories. Duchenne smiles were typically preceded by non-Duchenne…

Studied the imitation behavior of thirty 14- to 18-month-olds using peer and adult models in an elicited imitation paradigm. Indicated significant memory for 3-step behavior sequences both immediately after modeling and 1 week later compared with baseline performance. Found that children in the peer model group outperformed children in the adult…