Maternal responsive and directive speech to children at ages 0;10 and 2;0 was investigated by applying a procedure frst introduced by Flynn and Masur (2007) to a new language community (Finnish). The issues examined were consistency and stability over time, and also the role of responsiveness and directiveness in child linguistic development at…

Principles of a dynamic, dyadic systems view of mother-infant face-to-face communication, which considers self- and interactive processes in relation to one another, were tested. The process of interaction across time in a large low-risk community sample at infant age 4 months was examined. Split-screen videotape was coded on a 1-s time base for…

Ethnographic methods are used to investigate infant--toddlers relationships in an early childhood setting. The metaphorical and emotionally based concepts of holding [Winnicott, D. W. (1960). "The theory of the parent-infant relationship." "International Journal of Psychoanalysis," 41, 585-595.] and container: contained [Bion,…

Background: Identifying risk and protective factors for language development informs interventions for children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Maternal responsive and intrusive communicative behaviours are associated with language development. Mother-child interaction quality may influence how children use these behaviours in language…

The concept of bidirectionality represents a process of mutual influence between parent and child, whereby each influences the other as well as the dyadic relationship. Despite the widespread acceptance of bidirectional models of influence, there is still a lack of integration of such models in current research designs. Research on…

A team of facilitators describe the process and content of portfolios they create for families attending weekly playgroup sessions based on the philosophy and practices of the Parents Interacting with Infants (PIWI) model. The parent-child portfolios are a form of authentic assessment and highlight children's development within the context of…

When their infants were 6 months of age, mothers were assessed for self-efficacy (low, moderate, and high illusory control) and knowledge of infant development to determine their impact on mothers' behavioral sensitivity and affect during a feeding task at 9 months (N=70). Mothers' sensory sensitivity to digital images of infants' negative and…

Examines reciprocity in caregiver-child interactions by assessing 24 infants and their mothers with regard to temperament and maternal behavior, respectively. Results suggested that the more difficult the child temperamentally, the less the maternal responsiveness. (JMB)

Examines whether mothers modify their actions in response to infant facial expression or gaze direction. Subjects were seven pairs of mothers and infants (four to eight months old). Mothers were instructed to induce their infants to smile. (CM)

This study investigated the effects of mother's distance and visual field on some attachment behaviors of children 21-36 months old. Subjects were 20 male and 20 female children, half of each sex being reared primarily at home and half primarily in day care. Each child was observed with his mother in an experimental setting for a total of 16…

Modeling techniques and reinforcements for imitation of 35 mothers were recorded as the mothers interacted with their 19-month-old infants in a seminaturalistic setting. Children's imitations and mothers' reinforcements for imitation were found to be complexly related. (GO)

Investigates the vocal interaction of ten British working-class women and their children (average age of 11.4 months). (MP)

The article reviews comparative studies of normal and developmentally disabled or at-risk infants in interaction with their mothers, relates these studies to the literature on optimal parent-child interaction, and draws implications for early intervention programs. (DB)

Reports a study of interactions of middle-class parents from 27 Swedish families, designated as shared child care or traditional families, with their first-born infants, aged 8 to 12 months. Suggests that differential involvement in child care has significant effects on fathers' behavior. (DR)