Presents a method of defining cooccurring constellations or "packages" of maternal facial-visual engagement and head or hand stimulation during face-to-face play with an infant. The functional relevance of these packages is documented in case studies of one four-month-old infant playing with his mother and a stranger. (Author/CB)

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…

The seven articles in this annual report concern aspects of attachment, social interaction among parents and children, temperament, affective behavior, and/or research methodology. Aspects of attachment and temperament are addressed in Kazuo Miyake's study of the "Relation of Temperamental Disposition to Classification of Attachment,"…

Twenty 18-month-olds were observed interacting with their mothers and fathers in a structured laboratory setting. Assessed were affiliation and attachment behaviors when the infant was alone with either the mother or father or with both parents and when stranger entered. (Author/MS)

The development of two temperamental characteristics--the tendency to approach (uninhibited) and the tendency to avoid (inhibited) unfamiliar events--may be partially controlled by genetic predisposition. Discusses the results of a study indicating that the level of motor responses and crying in response to unfamiliar stimuli in four month olds…

This paper summarizes the findings of a series of studies on the effects of "ecological variables" on mother-father-sibling-infant interactions. Under consideration were: (1) the effects of stress on the parental preferences of young infants; (2) the effects of the presence of one parent on the interactions within the other parent-infant dyad; (3)…

This longitudinal study investigated the relationship of stress arising from medical problems of newborns to parent-infant interaction through the infant's first year. Significant interactive differences between full term and premature infants were found in feeding situations during the neonatal period and in floor play at eight months. The sample…

This study investigated the response behavior of nine infants, aged 13-15 weeks, to a recurrent pattern of visual and verbal stimuli presented by their own mothers and by female strangers. The infants were presented with the following 2-minute sequence (repeated 3 times): (1) one-half minute of an unknown female leaning over the crib with a…

Compiling essays authored by Benjamin Spock and published in popular magazines, this book examines the emotional and physical needs of infants and toddlers. The chapters are: (1) "Communicating with Your Baby: Reading Your Baby's Cues," including information on crying, motor behavior, squealing, and parents' responses; (2) "Parents'…

Examined middle and lower class Anglo-American and Puerto Rican mothers' sociocultural values and perceptions of attachment behavior. Anglo mothers focused on self-confidence, independence, and autonomy, whereas Puerto Rican mothers focused on obedience, relatedness, and demeanor. Findings indicate the need for culturally sensitive models of the…

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…

Information about infant growth and development from 6 to 9 months of age is presented in a self-instructional format. This illustrated booklet is part of a related curriculum on parenting and child development for school-age mothers. Stranger anxiety, motor development, toys and learning activites, and language development are discussed.…

This study of the bidirectional effects of parent-child relations, focuses on the exchange of attachment behaviors, investigating the interactions of twelve 3-member nuclear families in a strange-situation condition. Dyadic and triadic conditions involving parents with their 12-, 18-, or 24-month-old children were observed and videotaped in a…

This paper describes and interprets observations of Chinese children made by an American early childhood educator during a 3-week visit to the People's Republic of China in 1975. It was observed that Chinese infants dispalyed no anxiety when approached by strangers. Toddlers evidenced none of the rebelliousness associated with American children of…