Study supported in part by Grant MH-10993 from the National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

To investigate the relationship of differences in 2-year-old children's reactions to strangers to differences in their temperaments and their security of attachment with their mothers, a correlational study was conducted with 47 infants and their parents. In the first component of the study, both parents completed a child temperament rating…

One pathway through which second order effects proceed is "social referencing," a process in which the individual utilizes another's interpretation when appraising a situation. This phenomenon is well identified in adults and older children. While it had not been studied in infancy, there are good indications that the necessary cognitive…

The preference of the infant for mother versus father as an attachment figure and as a secure base for exploration is examined in this study. Subjects were fifteen 15-month-old infants whose mothers were their primary caregiver. The Ainsworth Strange Situation procedure was modified to permit both parents' simultaneous presence during separation…

This paper presents research findings on differences in the social and cognitive behavior of first born and only children at 3, 12, and 24 months of age as observed at home and in a free play laboratory setting. The sample consisted of 21 only children (children who did not acquire a sibling for at least the first 48 months of life) and 35 first…

This paper presents arguments for greater use of sophisticated research strategies and statistical analyses of data in dealing with the real-life complexity of social interaction. Three possible procedures are proposed and illustrated in a study of interactions between mothers and their 8- to 18-month-old children. The first strategy is to…

This study examined the reactions of 45, 10-month-old infants to peer strangers. The infants were observed in two conditions: with a stranger of the identical age (10 months) and with one who was younger (5 months). In additon, each infant's behavior when he was alone with his mother was compared to his behavior when he was in the presence of…

A report is presented which relates to a general hypothesis suggested by previous data on visual response to faces that in the first weeks of life infants develop expectations regarding the human face. Three predictions were made: (1) Silent human faces would elicit less direct regard than faces accompanied by voices; (2) A familiar face would…

The extent to which two trained observers agreed in coding infant communicative cues was examined in a study of 15 mothers and their 11-month-old infants whose handicaps ranged from mild to severe. Observers agreed on the occurrence of an infant cue less often when coding their more severely handicapped infants. (Author/JW)

Mothers' and fathers' socialization of one- and two-year-old children's sex-typed play behaviors was examined. For each parent, dyadic interactions were videotaped in the home on two occasions six months apart. Results are discussed in terms of implications for the social learning account of sex-role development. (Author/RH)

To test hypotheses concerning interactional histories associated with variation in quality of infant-mother attachment, data were gathered during naturalistic home observations of 60 infants 1, 3, and 9 months of age. Responses were elicited on the Ainsworth and Wittig strange situations. Results concerned mothers' relatively greater influence in…

In a longitudinal study, infants 6 to 18 months of age were observed in their homes playing with their mothers and with peers to determine how they coordinated attention to people and objects. Person engagement declined with age, while coordinated joint engagement increased; both passive and coordinated joint engagement were much more likely when…

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…

The relation between maternal presence and infant's vocalization depended upon the infant's state: when the infant was in the active awake state, he vocalized less in the presence of the mother than when alone, thus indicating that the majority of early vocalizations are associated with a non-social situation. (Authors/RY)

Field independence at preschool age (3 1/2 years) was tested and regressed on measures of 24 children's social and exploratory behaviors and on measures of maternal interaction behaviors during infancy and preschool. Children's exploratory behaviors' and mothers' behaviors were not predictive of cognitive style, but social behaviors were.…