This paper presents an overview of the literature on mother-infant attachment behavior. Attachment is defined by Ainsworth as involving affection, discrimination, observable behavior, active participation by both parties, and reciprocal response. The process of attachment is seen by Stone, Smith, and Murphy as taking place in three stages over the…

This article states that the human element is often minimized in planning optimal environments for infant day care, and examines mother-infant interaction research in order to delineate current areas of exploration and to synthesize findings for those interested in upgrading the quality of infant day care. (CM)

Examines the extent to which an infant's social initiative resists or is modified by three variations in the behavior of adult responsiveness: repeated responses, varied responses, and eye aversion. (HOD)

Discusses ways in which Myron Hofer's work (1987), which draws on studies of rodents and primates, alters the traditional perspective on human attachment. Emphasizes the importance of the component of attachment that does not develop in explaining attachment in the first six months of life. (PCB)

Critically evaluates knowledge about relations between early interaction, the "strange situation," and later social behavior in normal and atypical infants including premature infants, abused or neglected infants, and the infants of depressed mothers. Attributes equivocal relations between early interaction behaviors and later attachment…

New parenthood had a greater general impact on women than on men, but effects of infant crying were greater on fathers than on mothers. Infant crying was related to mothers rating their infants more negatively but feeling less inadequate. For fathers, infant crying was associated with greater anxiety and inadequacy. (Author/ABB)

Provides a foundation for future experimental research on the origins in mother-infant interaction of sex differences in the development of a separate sense of self. Suggests that sex differences in the experience of a separate sense of self begin to emerge in early infancy and that mothers engage in different types of contact with sons and…

Social smiles of 10 visually impaired 4 to 12 month olds were examined longitudinally in play interactions with their mothers. All infants demonstrated both the presence of social smiles and the second Piagetian stage of cognitive development at the start of the study. Social smiling increased in frequency from 6 to 12 months. (Author/CB)

Describes an experiment which tested the infant's sensitivity to the timing of the mother's responses by arranging a video system so that mother and baby each saw a full-face, life-size image of the other on a video screen. Results provide evidence for the infant's active role in interaction with adults. (SED)

Presents a framework delineating four influences on infant and family development: personality, social interaction, role, and ecology. Documents stable characteristics of parents' personality and marriage that affect family development and infant soothability. (Author/CB)

Argues (1) that Feinman (1982) and Campos (1983) agree that 10-month-old infants are able to use their mother's emotional expression to come to an appraisal of a third event and (2) that this claim is supported by studies of mother-infant interaction and communication. (Author/RH)

Scientists believe that the stimulation that infants and young children receive determines which synapses form in the brain. This book presents 125 games for infants from birth to 12 months and is designed to nurture brain development. The book is organized chronologically in 3-month increments. Each game description includes information from…

Intentional or unintentional rejection of a blind infant by the mother is shown to be conducive to the child's unwillingness to explore his environment, which in turn can have negative effects on the child's development. (CB)

Data indicate that the interventions provided differed in their effectiveness in calming newborns to a highly significant degree. (Authors)