The reactions of 24 eight-month-old infants and their mothers were observed when approached in a standard laboratory situation by female strangers whose approach was either fast or slow. Mothers were significantly more "wary" than infants, particularly as the proximity of the stranger increased. (Author/RH)

A comparison was made of the behaviors of 64 12-month-old infants in situations where adult female strangers played either an active or a passive role. (Author/JMB)

In response to criticisms of a study conducted by Shaffran and Decarie, the author underscores the need for objective, accurate peer evaluation. Errors and misinterpretations in the critical article are reported and corrected. (Author/RH)

Replies to Solomon's paper that basic criticisms made earlier of Shaffran and Decaries' study still apply. Views the study as essentially a confirmation of the null hypothesis based on weak measures. (Author/RH)

To assess the effects of the onset of mothers' inaccessibility to their infants, infant-mother pairs were observed in the Ainsworth strange situation at both 12 and 18 months and were classified as secure, anxious-avoidant, or anxious-resistant. Children of mothers who had returned to work/school before their child was 12-months-old were more…

Examined emotion regulation strategy use in 75 infants between 6 and 18 months during interactions with strangers. Compared to 12- and 18-month olds, the 6-month olds were more likely to use gaze aversion and fussing as their primary regulation strategy and were less likely to use self-soothing and self-distraction. (HTH)

A reanalysis of first-year longitudinal data suggests that infants' reactions to a stranger up through the middle of the first year are attributed to a wariness of the unfamiliar while by 9 months, learned aversions which have their roots in prior disturbing experiences may become an important additional determinant. (Author/JMB)

Face-to-face interaction between 26 infants and their mothers and a relatively unfamiliar figure was observed longitudinally in the home environment when the infants were between 6 and 15 weeks of age. Normative findings indicated that infants became more responsive over this time period, whereas maternal behavior did not change. (Author/JMB)

Uses the habituation paradigm to investigate 3-month-old infants' abilities to recognize and discriminate among the faces of strangers. Infants consistently discriminated between photographs of faces following extensive exposure to one, and recognized something about the face they saw during habituation. Results suggest that similarity influences…

A model of infant social behavior is developed which incorporates attachment to the familiar and fear of strangers as well as detachment from the familiar and exploration of the stranger. (JMB)

This article reviews the literature on infants' reactions to strangers, focusing on issues of assessment, reliability, and stability. (JMB)

Investigated three-month-olds' abilities to discriminate and recognize smiling and frowning expressions of mothers and strangers. Discrimination and recognition occurred regardless of the adult who was involved; however, more infants discriminated the mothers' expressions than the strangers', and boys looked at their mothers' faces longer than did…

A total of 87 infants 10 months of age received, either directly or indirectly, a positive nonverbal message, a neutral nonverbal message, or no message about a stranger. Infants, especially those with easy temperaments, were friendlier to the stranger when mothers had spoken positively, but only when the message was directly communicated.…