This study examined whether the differential maternal treatment of twins affected the twins' on-task behaviors in a teaching interaction. A total of 175 mothers and their same-sex 14-month-old twins were videotaped in their homes in triads. This was repeated for 170 of the families when the children were 24 months, and for 146 of the families when…

This study explored how secondary teachers develop healthy, caring bonds with their students and thus nurture healthy emotional and social development in young people. Two teachers were interviewed and observed in the classroom, and four students exhibiting high-risk behavior and four parents were also interviewed. The teachers were a 39-year-old…

Three studies examined proximity and contact behaviors (behaviors generally thought to be indicative of attachment relationships) in young autistic children. The first study examined the behavior of 32 young autistic children and children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) in a "strange situation" paradigm using four…

Part of a prospective longitudinal study examining factors that account for developmental outcomes for high-risk children, this investigation focused on how successful adaptation at 12 and 18 months is related to adaptation at 24 months, 42 months, and 4.5 to 5 years of age. Assessments at each age were designed to indicate how the child was…

Traditionally, members of couples are similar in age, race, class, appearance and education. But within that common background, men tend to marry women slightly below themselves, a phenomenon known in sociology as the marriage gradient. To determine the extent to which students are comfortable with unequal relationships and traditional and…

A study examined the subjective experience of love (the feelings associated with love and the meanings attributed to these feelings) and the manners in which love is communicated. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 76 respondents (ages ranged from 21 to 54, with 52% over 30 years old). In the first part of the interview, respondents were…

Differential association-learning theory posits that association with delinquent peers causes delinquency; control theory suggests that the link between delinquent peers and delinquent behavior is spurious, or that delinquent behavior leads to delinquent associates. To examine these competing perspectives, 1,128 secondary school males completed…

Of a group of 67 low-income first-time fathers-to-be, half were randomly assigned during the second trimester of pregnancy to participate in an intervention program designed to acquaint them with information, insights, and clinically appropriate techniques of responsive care for infants. Fathers were videotaped in feeding interactions with infants…

This paper examines current approaches to conceptualizing and studying fathers' interactions with infants from three perspectives: (1) Spence and Helmreich's current trait theory of masculinity and femininity; (2) differentiated levels of inquiry into fatherhood; and (3) Bronfenbrenner's social ecology of the infant. Detailed discussions of each…

There has been much work on social networks and interpersonal worlds, but until recently little discussion of the unique aspects of women's networks. To examine the factors that constrain or facilitate such female bonding, 43 low-income urban mothers were interviewed. For these respondents, female bonding was a significant aspect of their lives.…

Four studies involving 40 pigtail monkeys are described in which relatively short separation experiences in infancy were associated with evidence of persistent changes in social behavioral function (less sociability, fewer close friends) and immunological function (suppression of lymphocyte proliferation) up to 6 years later. (Author/JDD)

Study findings indicate that maternal depression is prevalent among low-income mothers with infants. Depressed mothers are more likely than nondepressed mothers to show hostile and intrusive behavior toward their infants, and infants of depressed mothers are more likely to exhibit slowed development and unstable avoidance attachment behaviors.…

Examines the strange-situation procedure among Japanese mother-infant pairs and analyzes their behavior by comparing them with the data reported in the book by M.S. Ainsworth and others. (HOD)

This study explored the development of attachment bonds in adolescents with diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or conduct disorder (CD). Participants included 102 mother/adolescent-child dyads from both rural and metropolitan areas and from six states. Subjects had received an ADHD diagnosis, a CD diagnosis, or a…

Examined the association between psychological separation and adjustment to university among college students. Found that two dimensions of psychological separation--independence from parents and positive separation feelings--predicted better adjustment to college life. Independence from parents was moderated by grade, gender, and perceived…