Presented are practical ideas parents can use to prevent and manage excessive crying during their infant's first year. Designed to foster the development of children's physical and emotional independence, the ideas discussed concern (1) the changing functions of crying throughout the infant's first year, (2) causes of crying, (3) the intellectual…

Results of a series of studies suggested that excessive early vocal stimulation may be detrimental to infants' cognitive processing, and that optimal development may be associated with a moderate amount of early stimulation. Study 1 involved 59 3-month-old infants and their mothers. Study 2 observed 23 mothers and infants seen 3 months after the…

This study examined the dynamic organization of interactions specific to attachment groups in a learning situation. Participating were 62 mothers and their 12- to 16-month-olds, observed in the laboratory during three 3-minute learning tasks. After the laboratory session was completed, the Strange Situation procedure was conducted. Findings…

Three experiments were conducted to examine whether infants can detect the color of stationary and moving objects and maintain this discrimination over change in velocity. Subjects were 80 infants ages 8 to 20 weeks. (MP)

Investigated the social interactions of 18 Taiwanese infants and toddlers with a baby in a group setting. Compared videotaped responses and other mediating issues with those of American children in a similar scenario. Found that Taiwanese toddlers demonstrated significantly more interactions toward the baby than did American toddlers. Children…

Compared everyday infant experiences among central Africa's Aka hunter-gatherers and Ngandu farmers. Found that Aka were more likely to be held, fed, and asleep or drowsy. Ngandu were more likely to be alone and to fuss or cry, smile, vocalize, or play. Crying, soothing, feeding, and sleeping declined over time for both; distal social interaction…

Many studies using questionnaires and observational methods to collect information on the pointing gesture in infants have recently been performed. However, no study based on long-term observation is presently available that deals with the appearance and development of pointing as an interaction between mothers and their children. Therefore, this…

A case study of the period of repetitive babbling in one Dutch infant is reported. Repetitive babbling is seen as a systematic and continuous process, during which the child is applying certain strategies in order to form concepts concerning the possibilities of his or her articulatory apparatus. Strategies identified are: (1) variation…

Assesses ability of infant tests to predict language and cognitive development and to detect infants at risk for developmental problems. The Bayley Mental Development Index was particularly capable of detecting infants at risk for developmental delay. The Caldwell Inventory of Home Stimulation identified home environment as a key factor in…

Parent interviews with low-income, urban mothers in Korea, India, Sweden, France, and the United States provided a profile of behaviors that mothers used in response to various child behaviors. Although mothers exhibited some behaviors typical of their cultural groups, there were more similarities than differences in responses across cultures.…

Proposes to identify the mechanisms underlying the links between maternal attention directing strategies and infants' focused attention. Observes onset and offset of maternal behaviors toward objects and infants' attention in a sample of 50 dyads during the first year of life. Discusses research methods, results, and implications for further…

This study was aimed at sorting out conflicting results in the literature concerning 2-month-olds' sensitivity to interpersonal contingency, and investigated the potential role of infants' positive emotion in contingency detection. Infants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) that was presented an uninterrupted live-replay-live…

A longitudinal study was made of women and their first-born children who have different employment and day care experiences during the child's first three years of life. Specific aims of the study were (1) to gain full account of the history and experience of women who return to full-time employment while their first child is still young and of…

The effects of obstetrical medication on neonatal behavior were studied using a sample of 64 Israeli infants from medicated and non-medicated mothers. Most medicated mothers received a base dose of 75 mg. of Meperidine plus a base dose of 25 mg. of Phenergan. Other drugs used included Demerol, Valium, Butalgan, Pitocin, Pantopon, Trilene, Naline,…

Compared the attachment classification distributions of 23 infants in Israeli kibbutzim with communal sleeping arrangements with those of 25 infants in kibbutzim with home-based sleeping arrangements. Among the home-based infants, 80% were securely attached to their mothers versus only 48% of the infants in communal sleeping arrangements. (MDM)