Examines the validity of the Strange Situation procedure for Japanese mothers and infants by examining correlates and antecedents of Strange Situation behavior for 60 infants and their mothers. Results suggest that the Strange Situation may not be a valid index of the security of infant-mother attachment in Japan. (SLD)

This study focused on French and U.S. mother-infant dyads interacting in their homes. Infants' visual attention, tactual exploration, vocalization and mothers' mediated and unmediated stimulation and speech to infants were observed. Mothers and infants in the two cultures showed some similarities and some different emphases in their activities,…

Compares activities and interactions of Japanese and American mothers and their five-month-old infants in their natural home settings from a macroanalytic viewpoint in terms of mothers' verbal and visual stimulation of infants and infants' visual and tactual exploration and vocalization. (Author/BB)

Investigated stability and change in infant affective responses to still-face interaction, impact of maternal depression, and whether infant responses predicted toddler problem behaviors. Found stable individual differences in gazing away and rates of negative affect. Gazing away increased over time. Mothers' current depressive symptoms and…

To study the social-emotional development of triplets, 23 sets of triplets, 23 sets of twins, and 23 singleton infants (N=138) were followed from birth to 2 years. Maternal depression and social support were assessed in the postpartum period, mother-infant and father-infant interaction and the home environment were observed at 3 months, a…

In this study of prominent characteristics of parenting in the United States, France, and Japan, 72 mother-infant dyads were examined. The study focused on three prominent interactive domains of visual and vocal exchange between mother and baby (nurturing, social exchange, and didactic stimulation), examining their frequency of occurrence and…

Discussing findings from three studies, this report focuses on questions mothers ask their children while looking at picture books and recent family photographs. In the first study, 30 mothers and their 12-, 15-, and 18-month-old children "read" a simple ABC book that had one picture for each letter in the alphabet. In the second study,…

This research reports the development of a semantic differential for rating nonverbal style of expressiveness in a population of expectant mothers. Mothers' nonverbal features (facial expression, gestures, voice quality) were emphasized as uniquely valid indices of emotional attitudes towards parenthood and as the principal forms of interpersonal…

This paper reports the progress of an ongoing clinical research project on prevention services for at risk infants of mentally ill mothers. This project extends the prevention focus of early education programs into the mental health field. Previous research findings indicate that maximum preventive effects are achieved when programs (a) begin…

This study examines the relationship between mother-infant behavior and the infant's performance on perceptual-cognitive tasks as a function of the infant's sex. A total of 189 12-week-old infants and their mothers were observed in their homes during 2 hours of infant awake time. In addition, the Mental Development Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales…

This paper reports on a followup study of the long-term effects of infant care patterns among the Logoli people of East Africa. In the original study, 12 infants, ages 7-13 months, were observed to obtain a measure of the frequency with which the infant was held by the mother and others, latency of response to the infant's crying, and the number…

Part One of these hearings before the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the United States Senate includes the testimony of scientists and doctors engaged in research regarding the relationship between maternal, fetal, and infant nutrition and optimum mental and physical development of the child. In testimony it was shown that the…

Social interaction and play behavior were compared in community-based infant day care and at home for two matched groups of 18-month-old infants. Adult-infant, infant-peer, and infant-toy interaction were time-sampled. (Author/SS)

Two articles discuss problems that infant caregivers deal with in their work place. The first article provides ideas on how to take care of and pacify a crying baby; the second discusses the experience of a caregiver in a group child-care situation which involved her own child, noting the transition from infant room to toddler room. (AA)

Examined the concordance between mother-infant attachment behavior and patterns of mother-child reunion responses when the children were age six. Found that concordance between four types of attachment status was 82%. Also found a correlation between children's observed social competence at age five and their reunion patterns at age six. (MDM)