This study attempts to investigate the effects of increased maternal visual regard on neonatal social visual behavior and upon patterns of mother-neonate interaction within the context of a learning theory paradigm. Subjects were 3-day-old neonates and their mothers; with 10 of the 15 mother-neonate pairs as the experimental group, and 5 as the…

This study examines social comparison processes occurring in the interactions among normal adolescents in peer groups. Eight types of social comparison processes were predicted. Two of these, specific to adolescent developmental processes, are new. The experimental design called for behavioral observation documenting occurrence of social…

To investigate children's ability to describe and make inferences about feelings, thoughts, and intentions that occur in interpersonal relationships, 60 middle class girls were divided into three age groups: 6, 9, and 12 years. Each group viewed two sections of a movie portraying episodes of social interaction. After each section, the children…

The purposes of this paper are: (1) to identify uses of the term social competence for preschool and early school children, with origins directly in research, and (2) to formulate a definition of social competence reflecting consensus across three different research perspectives. From an ethnological perspective, social competence consists of…

This book, the first in a series on development and behavior of human infants and animals, contains a collection of articles dealing with the significance of the interaction between mother and infant and the subtle contributions that each makes to the other in shaping their ongoing dyadic behavior. It emphasizes that the infant is no mere passive…

This study examines the development of cooperative and negative behavior in a setting in which children of varied ages had regular opportunities for social encounters. Subjects were 16 children, half 16-19 months, half 28-32 months. Each child was observed 30 minutes per day for five days. Behaviors were recorded continuously. A narrative written…