This paper presents arguments for greater use of sophisticated research strategies and statistical analyses of data in dealing with the real-life complexity of social interaction. Three possible procedures are proposed and illustrated in a study of interactions between mothers and their 8- to 18-month-old children. The first strategy is to…

This study was designed to examine the nature of nonverbal social interaction between mothers and infants and to compare various situational effects. A total of ten 3-month-old twin infants (five male and five female) and their mothers were videotaped in their homes during free play, bottle feeding and spoon feeding situations. A repeated measures…

This paper describes five experimental studies which explored the influence of fathers' home caregiving and interactional characteristics on their infant's laboratory behavior. Approximately 300 families with children ranging in age from 6 to 24 months were studied. Each infant's reactions were observed as a function of the manipulation of the…

This study investigates similarities and differences in the interactions of infants with mothers and fathers, and examines the structural characteristics of social interaction between infants and fathers. Data are based on analyses of videotapes showing face-to-face interaction of five healthy first born infants with their mothers and fathers. The…

The New Orleans Parent Child Development Center Intervention Model hypothesizes a series of effects: the Child Development and Family Life Educators impart curricula designed to change mother's attitudes and behavior toward her child in ways which should encourage the development of competence in the child. The two single most important types of…