Analyzed 20 test items for evidence of concordance for samples that included at least 120 pairs of identical twins and 85 pairs of same-sex fraternal twins at ages 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Also computed within-pair correlations for the total number of Piagetian-equivalent items passed. (Author/SDH)

Examines the assumptions about infant development that underlie infant intervention programs. Focuses on four popular ideas: that environment is the sole determinant of development; that development is linear and continuous; that early experiences carry more weight than later experiences; and that providing a more "stimulating"…

Reported are results of three studies: (1) Hand Preference Consistency during Infancy and Preschool Years (K. Bathurst and A. W. Gottfried), (2) Asymmetry of Verbal Processing: Influence of Family Handedness (K. Bathurst and D. W. Kee), (3) Consistency of Hand Preference and Cognitive Development in Young Children (K. Bathurst and A. W.…

Conducted a trivariate genetic analysis of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME), Mental Development Index (MDI), and Task Orientation (TO). Found that for 101 nonadoptive and 92 adoptive sibling pairs at 12 and 24 months of age, TO explained the remaining genetic variance on the HOME not explained by the MDI. (MDM)

Examines three alternatives to the classical framework of early cognitive development: modularity-nativism, connectionism, and theory-theory. Arguments are marshaled to support the "theory-theory" view, which emphasizes a combination of innate structure and qualitative reorganization in children's thought based on input from the people and things…

Despite considerable work concerning relationships between cognition and language in the second year of life, these relationships remain obscure. Clarification depends on resolution in at least three major areas. First, studies should be expanded beyond the scope of cognitive prerequisite models that have been difficult to conceptualize and that…

Summarizes research findings that challenge long-standing theories of infant cognition and motor development and proposes alternative theoretical models to describe skill acquisition during the first several years of life. Findings are discussed with respect to research in the area of infant speech physiology and production. (Author/CR)

Part One of these hearings before the Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the United States Senate includes the testimony of scientists and doctors engaged in research regarding the relationship between maternal, fetal, and infant nutrition and optimum mental and physical development of the child. In testimony it was shown that the…

The longitudinal child development study involved a cohort of 1008 infants, born in 1966 and constituted as a non-random sample in order to include a substantial number of biological risk cases. Simultaneously considered were perinatal biological and social adversity and measures of attainment in three domains (physical, motoric, and cognitive) at…

In the past 25 years, there has been an explosion in research on the development of perception. The research has produced discoveries at multiple levels: ecological analyses, models of representation and process, and improved understanding of biological mechanisms. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of infant perception, bringing…

The work of four task forces on human deprivation is reported. Aspects of deprivation treated include psychosocial deprivation and personality development; influences of biological, psychological, and social deprivations upon learning and performance; socialization and social structure; and biological substrates of development and behavior. For…