Based on Beisecker's earlier finding that patients over age 60 brought companions to their medical appointments more often than did patients aged 25-59, a study was conducted to examine the role of the companion. Eleven of 21 patients aged 60-85 brought companions. Companions were either spouses or adult children of the patients. Within this…

To determine whether the presence of a fourth person affects triads in the same way that the presence of a third person affects dyads, data from two previous studies were reanalyzed. In the original studies a total of 60 infants 12 months of age were observed interacting with their parents in 4 social contexts: 1 parent present, 2 parents present,…

Adolescent mothers display less frequent, accepting, and involved interaction with their children than do older mothers. Yet the role of the young mothers' psychosocial immaturity in these phenomena remains unexplained. This project explores the validity of Newberger's model of Parental Awareness (PA) which outlines hierarchical stages in the…

The purpose of this study was to clarify and empirically examine the role played by a toddler's self comforting skill in facilitating the separation-individuation process. On the basis of psychoanalytic ideas and empirical findings it was predicted that self comforting would be positively related to both secure attachment and self awareness. It…

The frequency and nature of maternal attributions of communication in dyads with 16 11-month old handicapped infants were examined. For some aspects of the study the experimental group was compared with a control group of 16 dyads in which the same-age infants were not handicapped. The study addressed four major purposes: (1) to compare groups on…

The purpose of this study was to extend understanding of affiliative interaction between parents and toddlers and to correlate affiliative behaviors with frequency and type of mothers' and fathers' caregiving activities, play experiences, and support-control interactions. The research was conducted with 10 families who each had one toddler between…

The guidebook is intended to serve as a model for educators interested in facilitating workshops for parents of highly gifted children. An out growth of a federal project to identify, work with, and develop support and suggestions for highly gifted children, their teachers, and their parents, the guidebook begins with a discussion of its…

The women's movement has shown how outdated assumptions about women block their freedom to achieve and stunt their earning power, but traditional stereotypes also exact a toll from men. Boys growing up in today's society must "prove" themselves to be full-fledged males, and are discouraged from being aesthetic, sensual, and nurturing. Athletics…

The study examines the communicative interaction process between two profoundly deaf mothers and their profoundly deaf young children who use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. The hypothesis is explored that deaf mothers modify their language when directly addressing their children in the same fashion as hearing mothers. Utterances…

The materials cited in this annotated bibliography focus on maternal and infant health and the critical importance of good nutrition. Audiovisuals and books are listed in 152 citations derived from online searches of the AGRICOLA database. Materials are available from the National Agricultural Library or through interlibrary loan to a local…

This study investigated questions asked during two types of mother-child interaction and demonstrated ways in which mother-child dyads may structure their interactions differently in different settings. Participants were 16 first-born girls between 2.5 and 3.5 years of age who were videotaped on four occasions when they played in their home for 15…

The newsletter article examines the impact of a handicapped child on siblings and offers parents suggestions for handling sibling relationships effectively. The article notes differences in the emotional adjustment process between older and younger siblings of a handicapped child. This report also explains typical sibling reactions of regression,…

During paroxysms of colic, infants are hypertonic or neurolabile, and appear to be in acute, abdominal pain. The infant lets out a high-pitched cry which soon reaches a screaming level, and which is coupled with facial grimacing. The infant is difficult to console, and may resist attempts to sooth it. Between spells, these infants cry normally and…

Family-related conflict has been a central focus of theory as well as research on adolescent development, both with respect to the characteristics of nature of conflict and the influence it has on adaptational outcomes. Conflict in families of adolescents was studied by examining three characteristics of family conflict (locus, content, and…

It has been reported by previous research that offspring ratings of feelings of closeness to father are more negative for divorced fathers than for fathers in intact marriages. This study investigated the impact of a number of variables on college-aged offspring ratings of feelings of closeness to their fathers. Subjects included college students…