This paper attempts to refute the assumption that early motor development is determined genetically and is not influenced by environmental factors. The paper re-examines three studies which are consistently cited as providing evidence for a maturational theory of motor development: the "early training study" by Gesell and Thompson, the "swaddling…

This study was intended to determine whether differences in maternal attitude and behavior relate to differences in infants' Strange Situation security classification. Subjects for the present study were 38 white middle-class mothers and their normal, 1-year-old infants (20 male, 18 female). Infants who were classified as to the quality of their…

This book is a collection of six theoretical and practice oriented papers on issues related to the problems of intervention in the social development of young children. Topics dealt with in the papers are: mother-child interaction in day care and home reared children; the history, function and sequelae of a form of reunion behavior following…

The effects of low, full (normal) and high birthweights on the broad range of neonatal behaviors measured by the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale were investigated in a study which also attempted to replicate results of the authors' earlier study of the Brazelton Scale. Data from the original sample of 52 infants were included in the later…

The original Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) have been among the most popular measures of performance and aptitude of infants. In this study, the construct validity of scores on the Behavior Rating Scale of the revised Bayley Scales, the BSID-II, was investigated using national standardization and clinical samples of children ranging in…

Project TEAM (Team Education for Adolescent Mothers) is a support program designed to counteract the socioeconomic consequences of early childbearing, by developing a model for providing high-quality care services for pregnant adolescents, adolescent parents, their infants, and their extended families. The project has four site locations:…

This paper describes the Family Development Research Program, a program combining quality infant day care services with a home visitation component. Particular emphasis in this paper is on the day care center curriculum. Primary goals of the program are: (1) the design and maintenance of optimal environments which nourish an infant's development…

This paper describes the results of a longitudinal study which compared the effects of three types of home-based, parent-oriented, infant education curricula. One curriculum stressed language, another stressed play, and a third stressed social development. Mothers and children from 108 middle and working class families received home visits…

The Perception of Baby Temperament Scales (PBT) were used to elicit parental perceptions of infant temperament, with the results rated for internal consistency and congruence between parents. Data was obtained from 26 families, with both father and mother describing their first-born infants at five months of age. The PBT Scales deal with a range…

This case study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of three children starting child care, the adult who accompanied them to the center during the settling-in period, and one of the child caregivers. Data were collected by means of field notes, videotapes, interviews with the mother and teacher, journal entries by the…

This report presents a cumulative risk score system designed to identify high-risk infants through multiple assessments over an extended period of time. The system scores prenatal, natal, and neonatal biological events and neonatal behavioral performance in an additive fashion. Infants are assessed in the first month of life to distinguish those…

Papers included are: (1) Presidential Address, (2) Challenges to Early Childhood Educators, (3) The Home Start Program in the U.S.A., (4) Early Childhood Training Programs, (5) Initiatives being Taken in Early Childhood Education Field by the Australian Government, (6) Audiovisual Materials for Parents' Discussion Groups, (7) The Role of the Adult…

In addition to summarizing the last decade's findings on the effects of maternal employment on children, this paper integrates these data with results from earlier studies. Findings are summarized according to the age of the child (i.e., infants, preschoolers, elementary school children, and adolescents). Findings related to infants and…

This paper outlines the design and outcomes of an investigation comparing a day care program and home-rearing of infants and preschool children and discusses at length some issues involved in day care research. The study proposed to develop and evaluate a program at a Toronto municipal day care center which accepted infants, and compare the…

This study addressed the argument that early child care constitutes a risk to children's social adaptation, and that for high-risk samples this effect depends on the security of the infant-mother attachment relationship. A longitudinal investigation of 135 first-born children in a low-risk sample was conducted to discern the contribution of child…