This study examined the stranger reactions of 18-month-old children in three types of mother/stranger social contexts: (1) no interaction, (2) conversation only, or (3) playing cards. The results showed differential responding by condition, suggesting that 18-month-olds are sensitive to the background context of social encounters.

Two experiments presented 36 preschool children with videotapes of their own and unknown mothers interacting with strange and familiar people. The children were able to guess correctly whether their own mother was interacting with a friend or a stranger, but were unsuccessful with unknown mothers. (Author/JMB)

Two experiments are reported: one in which presentation of external information about a stranger evoked significantly higher attraction ratings than available psychological information; and a second where similarity of Subject and Other on external characteristics had greater effects upon attraction scores than did similarity of psychological…

In this study a male experimenter's style of dress had significant influence upon the number of agreements from older and younger women to answer the interviewer's questions and no influence upon men. Older individuals were more influenced by clothing than were younger ones. Results are discussed. (Author)

Explains an exercise useful for basic speech course instruction designed to facilitate interaction with strangers. (MH)

This study examined the effects of increasing the amount and quality of father-son interaction at home on attachment and separation behavior in the laboratory situation. Twenty boys, 12 months of age, and their low interacting fathers participated in this study. Twelve father-son pairs received a list of games to be played each evening over a…

It was predicted that the amount of satisfaction following an interpersonal exchange will be higher when the resource given is similar to the one reciprocated and lower when they are dissimilar. Interpersonal exchange situations were experimentally created in which two independent variables were manipulated. (Author)

A self-esteem maintenance model was tested using 52 friendship pairs. Undergraduates (N=52) participated in a word identification task described as an indirect measure of important skills (high relevance) or as a game of password (low relevance). Participants presented clues to both a friend and a stranger. As predicted by the model, subjects gave…

This study compares interactions between infants and parents to interactions between infants and strangers. Infants from 2 weeks to 6 months of age were taped in face-to-face interactions with unfamiliar male and female adults. Tapes of parent-infant interactions were available from a prior study. Specific infant and adult behaviors were coded and…

This study compares the face-to-face interaction of infants with fathers to their interaction with mothers and with strangers. Five infants were videotaped in individual interaction with their mothers, fathers, and unfamiliar adults at weekly intervals from the second week until the infants were 6 months old. Infants were seated in a laboratory…

The effects of counter-aggression strategies on married couples resulting from use of the Taylor interactive paradigm were investigated. Married persons (N=52) competed in a complex reaction time task and set durations of 100 decibel punitive noise for either their spouse or an opposite-sex stranger. During pretrials (aggression escalation), males…

Presents some practical suggestions on how teachers, students, and child-care workers can help infants cope with changes that may occur with adoption and foster care at various early ages. (Author/CS)

This study examines the degree to which young children are influenced by the familiarity of an adult participant in their pretend play with toys which vary in resemblance to highly prototypical objects (e.g., cup-like cups or doll-like dolls). A group of 29 children, mean age 21 months, was divided into two experimental groups balanced by sex; 15…