Forty British parents of two-year-olds were asked about gender-related adult roles, beliefs about gender differences in children's behavior, and whether they perceived their own child in terms of gender-specific behavior. The majority of children were perceived as conforming to gender stereotypes. (Author/BJV)

Sixty-four mother-infant pairs were videotaped during structured episodes in which the mother challenged the infant to use her instrumentally to get access to or to operate a toy. At age 6 months the infants could use their mothers instrumentally in 36% of the episodes, increasing to 67% at 9 months and 78% at 13 months. (MDM)

This study compared efforts of 20 deaf and 20 hearing infants to reengage their deaf or hearing mothers in a maternal "still-face" situation. When all kinds of infant signal behaviors were considered, few overall differences were found in eliciting efforts by deaf and hearing infants. (Author/DB)

Parents with colicky and noncolicky infants answered questions about infant behavior expectations. Parents with colicky infants described infant behavior and expectations for infants at 3 months more negatively; there were no significant group differences for infants at the 8- to 11-month current situation. However, the amount of infant colicky…

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)

Examined the visual scanning patterns of infants ages 6, 10, and 13 weeks who viewed static geometric figures. Measures of fixation dwell-times, saccade lengths, and the choices and sequences of saccadic targets revealed that, although younger infants demonstrated salience-guided scanning behavior, older infants increasingly utilized volitional…

Examined the stress vulnerability of infants with disorganized/disoriented attachment patterns by measuring salivatory cortisol levels in 19-month olds following the Ainsworth Strange Situation procedure. Indicates that infants' disorganized attachment behavior reflects a vulnerability to stressful stimulation, suggesting a model of stress…

Infants at two, four, and six months of age learned a string-pulling task and were tested again two months later. Individual differences in emotional expressions of anger during extinction, and interest and enjoyment during learning, were stable over the two-month interval. (BC)

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)

Observed the behavior of 37 infants in response to their mothers' normal and still face. Infants reduced their smiling and increased their gazing away from mother during the still face condition compared to normal face condition. Compared to three month olds, six month olds were more likely to use hand activities while gazing away from mother. (MM)

Toddlers may bite as a reaction to being forced to be part of a group. Toddlers communicate in a physical manner but do not always connect the social consequences with their actions. By analyzing the circumstances surrounding a biting incident, teachers can redirect the child's energy and avoid a situation where biting might occur. (PAM)

Observers used two Q-sorts to describe mothers' and infants' behavior at home. Mothers of more difficult children were less sensitive than other mothers. There was a strong relation between maternal sensitivity and infant attachment. Mothers of more secure infants noticed and enjoyed their babies more than mothers of less secure infants. (BC)

Parents completed the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ), and their depression and anxiety were measured, during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The ICQ scores formed two components in the mothers' analysis, and one in the fathers'analysis. Predictors of postpartum ICQ scores were the postpartum ICQ components and the anxiety and…

This study evaluated the effects of completing infant development questionnaires on mothers whose ability to provide an appropriate caregiving environment for their infants was suspect. The 18 mothers who completed the questionnaire were found to be more accurate observers of their infants than 18 control mothers who had not completed the…

Describes infant and toddler biting behavior as related to developmental differences in exploring the environment, learning cause-effect relationships, and using power to elicit a response. Discusses ways to deal with biting at each level, how to support parents dealing with the behavior at home, and the importance of taking biting related to…