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…

Evaluates the extent to which mutual regulation occurs in mother-infant interactions by assessing the relationship of their affective and attentional involvement. (MH)

Father involvement with first-born infants in caretaking, affective proximal, and social activities was observed in a naturalistic home setting with mothers also present. Fathers were more involved in social activities, particularly play with the infant, than in physical caretaking. (Author)

The affective quality of relationships between noninstitutionalized white, elderly (65+) parents and their adult (21+) children was explored through interviews with 54 parent-child pairs. The health and the attitude toward aging indicator were found to be statistically significantly related to the family relationship indicator. (Author)

Compared family interactions of intact families with clinically depressed mothers with those of normal families. Analyzed nonverbal affective behavior. Depressed mothers emitted significantly higher rates of dysphoric affect and lower rates of happy affect than did normal mothers. Interactions between mother's dysphoric affect and family's…

Mothers from inner-city, poor families with high-risk infants were interviewed when their infants were three months of age concerning sources of support (e.g., fathers, relatives, friends) and types of support received (e.g., goods, services, advice, financial support). Observations of the mother-infant interaction in a free-play setting were also…

The relationship between the encoder and the decoder in the communication of nonverbal behavior provides the basis for the two studies described in this report. The first study investigated the ability of parents to decode the nonverbal behavior of their own and other children. Parents were asked to identify children's mode of encoding (natural or…

In developmental research, the family has mainly been studied through dyadic interaction. Three-way interactions have received less attention, partly because of their complexity. This difficulty may be overcome by distinguishing between four hierarchically embedded functions in three-way interactions: (1) participation (inclusion of all…

This short term longitudinal study of parent-infant interactions over 4 months beginning at birth examines interrelations among patterns of interactive behavior, characteristics of the parents and infants, and parental attitudes, knowledge and feelings in relation to their infants. Forty sets of mothers and fathers were observed interacting with…

Examined the effects of sex of parents and sex of child on parent-child interactions in the departure routine when the parent left the child at a child-care center. Also compared the mother-child interactions in this situation for one- and two-parent families. (JMB)

This study examined both maternal and child interaction styles, focusing on the association between differences in maternal level and quality of involvement and the synchrony and affective quality of child interaction behaviors. The subjects were 55 mother-child dyads in which the children (ages 2-5) had been referred to a mental health center…

This study of the bidirectional effects of parent-child relations, focuses on the exchange of attachment behaviors, investigating the interactions of twelve 3-member nuclear families in a strange-situation condition. Dyadic and triadic conditions involving parents with their 12-, 18-, or 24-month-old children were observed and videotaped in a…

The Perception of Baby Temperament Scales (PBT) were used to elicit parental perceptions of infant temperament, with the results rated for internal consistency and congruence between parents. Data was obtained from 26 families, with both father and mother describing their first-born infants at five months of age. The PBT Scales deal with a range…