This study explores cultural influences in the first three months of life by comparing the daily experiences of first generation Chinese-American and European-American infants whose parents were born in the United States. The study focused on 10 Chinese-American and 10 European-American families whose mothers were recruited during the third…

A study of the effect of the twin sibling relationship upon interactions between monkey mothers and infants. Findings provided strong support for the prediction that the twin sibling presence decreases the amount of behavior directed from infant to mother. Differences in maternal behavior were concluded to be reactions to differences in infant…

This study focused on two questions: (1) is there a difference between social and mechanical non-social causality in infancy? and (2) do infants use information about contact between objects in inanimate, mechanical causal sequences more than they use it in situations where a social event is to be caused? Forty-eight 10- to 10.9-month-old infants…

This research correlates maternal sociodemographic and psychological data and dimensions of maternal behavior at four and twelve months with dimensions of infant adjustment and competence at twelve months. Interviews of 321 low-income mothers were completed during the third trimester of pregnancy, at four months and at twelve months.…

This study was designed to compare the inter-/intra-correlational and the behavioral commonalities approaches to the assessment of attachment behaviors of infants to their mothers. At 7 months, 147 infants were observed (and videotaped) sequentially during a free play period with their mothers present, a separation from their mothers and then a…

Examined were differences in attachment behaviors of 14 abused and seven nonabused infants. Videotapes were taken during brief separation and reunion from their mothers and a habituated nonfamiliar figure. Ratings were made of exploration, distress, head turning, following, crying with separation, soothing, positive greeting, differential…

Infants raised the pitch of their vocalizations when stimulated by vocalizing parents. Nonvocal stimulation did not repeat the effect. Intonation contours did not change during different conditions. The pitch of the parents' vocalizations also rose during vocal interaction. Changes in infant pitch were interpreted as a function of imitation.…

Concerning the issues of emotional development, general agreement can only be reached on the definition of "emotional" behavior. Behavior is emotional when it varies from an individual's behavioral baseline by the addition of three components: (1) an action component, (2) an arousal component, and (3) a subjective "feeling" component. In all areas…

This volume consists of reports of individual studies and surveys of research work on mother-infant interactions. It is divided into two parts. The first section presents a wide range of studies on mother-infant relations as exhibited in the behavior of animals. The second part, concerning human behavior, includes studies on the natural history of…

Infant's crying may have an important mediating role in the formation of attachment behavior. The earliest vocalizations are discussed in terms of an acoustic communications model in which the baby's vocal repertoire becomes incorporated into a closed-loop, feedback system with his mother. Certain pre-lingual "signals" may be associated with those…

Several sets of evidence are offered to support the hypothesis that cognitive and social development are intimately interrelated, and that mother-infant interaction influences both. A mother's prompt responsiveness to her baby's signals tends to foster the development of varied and clear modes of communication and thus the development of one facet…

This paper explores the effects of infant predominant state of arousal upon very early mother-infant interaction, through observation of a group of 20 healthy 3-day-old nursery roommates and their mothers during hospital feeding sessions. In an experimental procedure involving a modified time-sampling technique, two observers simultaneously…

Leave-taking behavior of 84 pre-school children (44 female, 40 male) and their parents during separation at the beginning of a pre-school experience was studied. Super-8mm motion picture film was analyzed on a hand operated movie editor allowing a precise record of the segments of behavior to be made. Three factors emerged from the analysis: (1)…

This study tests the proposition that selective behaviors of both mother and infant during feeding are predictors of weight gain during the first month of life. Forty normal mother-neonate pairs were studied, and the target behaviors were examined using an adaptation of the techniques developed by Brown and Bakeman (in which approximately 60…

Patterns of mothering and fathering in 72 families were observed longitudinally and from the perspective of the family system when infants were 1, 3, and 9 months old. Findings suggested similarities and differences in mothering and fathering. (Author/RH)