Considers contributions of Sigmund Freud and Rene Spitz to developmental psychology. Freud's contributions include his observations about play, perspectives on developmental processes, and ideas about unconscious mental activity. Spitz's contributions include his assessments of infants, perspectives on developmental processes, and his concept of…

Examined mothers' and infants' affect in play and infant sex as predictors of infants' response to the still-face situation. (PCB)

This study examined the relationship between smile type (basic, Duchenne, duplay) and play type (object, physical, vocal, book reading) during parent-infant videotaped interactions at home. Loglinear analyses revealed that different types of smiles occurred during different types of play more often than expected if distributed equally. Different…

Discusses the causes of shaken baby syndrome and how to recognize, respond to, and prevent it. Identifies horseplay to avoid and recommends never shaking baby even for apnea. Offers 12 tips for working with crying babies and includes ten discussion questions to test knowledge of the syndrome. (DLH)

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)

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 series of 10 booklets provides information to new parents on their infants' behavior and development. The topics covered in the four-page booklets are: (1) "Welcome to the World of Babies," including information on infants' communication, baby books, and developmental milestones from birth to 9 months; (2) "Language: All about Communication,"…

Object play and communication development were studied with four infants with cerebral palsy, involving time spent with objects, types of object play, and object selection. As coordinated looking between object and adult emerged, children demonstrated increased interest in objects and sophistication in their play behaviors. (SW)

In a study of 24 preterm and 24 full-term infants at 8 months, infants who reacted to a novel stimulus with increased vagal tone showed more focused examination and exhibited greater exploratory play range than those whose vagal tone decreased with the stimulus. (LB)

This study was designed to provide a general picture of infant vocal-motor coordination and test predictions generated by Iverson and Thelen's (1999) model of the development of the gesture-speech system. Forty-seven 6- to 9-month-old infants were videotaped with a primary caregiver during rattle and toy play. Results indicated an age-related…

Major attention is given to the relationships between behaving organisms and the information in their environments. Case studies are examined that involve deliberate design of relationships between people and information that increase opportunities for learning. (Author/MLF)

This study examined the extent to which situational context differentially influences components of play. Two groups of play variables were distinguished: (1) style variables, (reflecting the overall tempo and diversity of play) and viewed as relatively sensitive indicators of short term reactions of situations; and (2) structural variables,…

Gaze patterns of retarded and nonretarded infants (N=16) during play and instruction with their mothers were compared at two developmental ages (5-10 and 11-16 months). Regardless of group, situation, or age, infants were overwhelmingly oriented toward the toys. Configurations of looking patterns were more consistent across ages among the…

Providing young infants with a loving and interesting environment through play will have a positive impact on their future. This book, designed for first time parents, provides simple and enjoyable activities intended to promote brain development during the first year. The book's introduction discusses the importance of the environment during the…