Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model proposes that events in higher order social ecosystems should influence human development through their impact on events in lower order social ecosystems. This proposition was tested with respect to ecological violence and the development of children's aggression via analyses of 3 waves of data (1 wave…

The goal of this study was to examine the links among attachment, child temperament, and the quality and frequency of mother-toddler conflict. Sixty-four mothers and children took part in a series of laboratory tasks when the child was 30 months of age and an audio-recorded home observation when the child was 36 months of age. All episodes of…

Results showed that, although adult male monkeys are less active and more stable in their behavioral levels than mates or offspring, they clearly distribute both initiates and responses differently to male offspring, female offspring, mates and infant and adult monkeys from other families. Implications for human father-infant interaction are…

A sample of 40 babies was observed in a variety of mildly challenging situations throughout their second year and in a series of follow-up assessments at age 31/2. Findings revealed two types of avoidant mechanism--wariness of the unfamiliar and fearfulness after exposure to a mildly difficult situation. (JMB)

The effects of an observer's presence on maternal interactive behavior were examined through observation of mother-child pairs under informed and uninformed conditions. Results indicate mothers played with their children more, were more positive in their verbal behavior, and structured their children's activities more during the informed than…

Describes 2 studies in which experienced and inexperienced preschool teachers were observed during children's free play periods. It was suggested that inexperienced teachers tend to go along with children's play perferences, while experienced teachers direct the children into activities they consider more important to academic success (i. e.,…

Preschool children were rated in a variety of classroom situations to determine if they displayed consistent behaviors within and across settings. Each assessment was based on a 15-minute observation of the child. Results suggest that enduring response patterns can be identified, but only in relation to particular situations. (Author/CS)

Toddler children and their parents were observed in their homes using an observation checklist. Parent behaviors were categorized as positive, negative, or neutral, and parental reactions to specific child behaviors were examined to determine if the sex of the child or the actual behavior influenced the type of parental reaction. (Author/JMB)

Examines the tendency of observers to make less reliable recordings of behavorial events when a calibrating observer is absent. Using four different multicategory systems, 26 experienced observers coded 200 hours of videotaped family interactions. Concludes that observers lapse into a less attentive "set" prior to coding without a…

Observations of parent-child interaction indicate that mother's positive feeling is correlated with her child's sociability, curiosity, attentiveness, manipulation, and offering information. (AJ)

Behaviors observed in 47 families interacting at home were recorded in terms of interactions between a target child and other family members. The types of behaviors emitted by a target child to parents versus siblings were analyzed as were the types of responses that parents versus siblings gave to the target child's behavior. (Author/RH)

In a longitudinal study of sibling interaction, same-sex and mixed-sex pairs of siblings were observed twice in their homes. Interaction patterns remained stable over the 18 months separating the two observations. Older children initiated prosocial and combative behavior more often than younger children and submitted less often to dominant…

Convergence between temperament ratings from two different sources (mothers and observers) and observer codings of peer-peer interaction was assessed. (Author/MP)

Relationships between day care and attachment were assessed with alternative procedures: (1) hypothesized normal patterns of attachment were tested naturalistically in day-care centers; (2) day-care and home-reared children were compared in a laboratory setting. (Author/MP)

The dyadic controls of the social interchange patterns of 12- to 42-month-olds (N=27) with their different social partners is the focus of this study. (Author/MP)