Discusses theories on the acquisition of early learning. The author suggests that an infant's innate physiological reflexes cause him or her to respond to adults in a way that stimulates the adults to model and reinforce socially acceptable behavior and communication patterns. (AM)

Coping ability was assessed in 12- and 18-month-old premature and full-term infants. An experimental barrier situation was used that consisted of a double fence of boards and boxes. The infant had to remove the barrier to reach the center. Only four of the 17 children who completed the task were premature. (Author/RH)

Investigates the degree to which object familiarity and motivational factors influence infants' search behavior in an object-permanence test. (Author/MP)

Responses of 80 10-month-old infants to brief maternal separation were observed in home and laboratory settings and in two conditions of maternal accessibility: mothers' exit door closed or open. Results show the importance of situational determinants in the investigation of infant attachment behavior. (Author/RH)

Investigates spatial orientation of infants, comparing behavior in the laboratory to behavior in the infant's home. Also investigates whether the infant relies on his body as a spatial reference system. (Author/SS)

To determine whether heart rate increase can be attributed to increased sucking amplitude for sweeter fluids, sucking and heart rate of 20 full-term infants were studied. (MP)

A replication study of directed reaching in children. In response to a visual stimulus the arm and hand movements of infants were videotaped and analyzed to determine whether the position of the ball affected the direction of the infants' extensions. (Author/SS)

Examines the relationship between an infant's sex and its capacity to maintain eye contact. Subjects were 15 male and 15 female newborn infants. (MP)

This study attempted to identify characteristics that distinguish approach as an attachment behavior from approach serving other behavioral systems. Locomotor approaches of 16 male and 10 female white middle-class infants to an attachment figure (mother) and to a nonattachment figure (visitor-observer) were examined under naturalistic conditions…

Preference for novelty, as measured with an exploratory behavior paradigm, was compared in 8-month-old full-term and preterm infants of matched conceptional age. Subjects were 64 infants, 32 full term and 32 preterm, with 16 males and 16 females in each group. (Author/JH)

A series of five experiments explore the 7-month-old infant's ability to discriminate among photos of faces. The infant's tendency to choose visual targets for inspection provides evidence of discrimination and recognition. (Author/JH)

The analysis of I-scale preference orders of 71 infants (2 to 9 months old) to four face-like stimuli suggested a common J-scale stimulus ordering for each of four age groups. Changes in I-scale frequencies were used as a measure of age-related changes in preference orders. (MS)

Examined changes in cortisol and behavioral responses in 83 infants. Found that salivary cortisol responses before and after inoculation were high at 2 months, decreased between 2 and 4 months, remained stable, then declined again between 6 and 15 months. Found some evidence that emergence of circadian rhythm in cortisol might be related to early…

Compared expressions of attachment relationships in preterm and full-term infants and their mothers at home at 8 and 12 months of age and in the Strange Situation at 18 months. Found 84% concordance in the distinctions between secure and nonsecure classifications of the mother-infant relationship made at home at 12 months and in the Strange…