This study aimed to examine the unique and interactive contributions of the quality of mothers' and fathers' relationships with their toddlers to the prediction of children's subsequent executive functioning (EF). The sample included 46 low-risk middle-class families. The quality of mother-child and father-child interactions was assessed…

This study was conducted to observe the effects of social class on the interaction of mothers and their 12-week-old infants. Data on the infants' cognitive and attentive behavior was also obtained. Each of 32 white and black infants from five different levels of social class was observed at home for two full hours of waking time. Observed infant…

The relationships between aspects of mother-infant interaction and both communication and cognitive skills at 1 year of age were examined in 92 African American dyads, of whom 64 were poor. The overall quality of the home environment and maternal ratings of stimulation and elaborativeness were the most consistent correlates of infant communication…

This study investigated the effectiveness of techniques of discipline employed by middle-class mothers to teach their children to resist a tempting forbidden object. Mothers' accuracy in describing their own behavior was also examined. Forty-three mothers and their 18-30-month-old children were brought in pairs into a playroom which contained an…

There are seven major sets of differences between young children of different economic backgrounds. The middle class child, compared to the lower class child, generally exhibits: (1) better language comprehension and expression, (2) richer schema development, involving mental preparation for the unusual, (3) stronger attachment to the mother,…

This intensive longitudinal study of mother-infant interaction during the first year of life focuses on the development of attachment. Data on 26 middle-class families were collected by five methods: (1) naturalistic observation of each mother-infant pair during 4-hour home visits, which occurred at 3-week intervals from the infants' 3rd to 54th…

A 4-YEAR RESEARCH STUDY HAS INDICATED THAT A MOTHER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE SCHOOL INFLUENCES THE YOUNG CHILD'S SCHOOL BEHAVIOR AND HIS ABILITY TO DEAL WITH ADULTS AND PERFORM COGNITIVE TASKS. THE SAMPLE POPULATION FOR THE STUDY WAS MADE UP OF 1,963 NEGRO MOTHERS OF 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM ONE MIDDLE-CLASS AND FROM THREE LOWER-CLASS…

This study examined the relationship between maternal employment status and the sex role concepts, cognitive development and adjustment of 110 nursery school children. It was predicted that maternal employment would be associated with a broadening of the children's sex role concepts. It was further predicted that there would be differential…

Long-term correlates of early child care and maternal employment were examined in a representative sample of 333 middle-class children ages 6 through 12. The results indicated that, for most middle-class children, early child care experiences had few, if any, lasting substantial influences when the concurrent contribution of family and child…

This study details three methods developed during the course of an investigation for describing adult-child interaction: (1) the "VINEX" category system for coding the actual language of the adult and the child; (2) a coding system for describing nonverbal behavior; and, (3) "Interaction Language," for the use of an observer in…

This paper describes a study comparing the development of children reared in a communal environment with that of children from upper-middle-class home environments. Variables considered were cognitive development and academic achievement. Subjects consisted of 39 children, 2 1/2 to 6 1/2 years of age, reared communally from birth, and 39…