To determine progress in identifying hearing loss in large populations of newborns, a questionnaire was sent to state agencies in 50 states plus the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. The questionnaire addressed three major topics: use of a high risk register, use of birth certificate screening, and future consideration of birth…

Two studies were conducted to examine (1) 1- to 3-day-old infants' imitation of their mothers, and (2) mothers' imitation of their newborn infants. For the infant imitation study, 30 mothers and their infants served as subjects. Two observers stood behind the mother to view the infant's face while the mother presented one of the following…

Evidence that hemispheric asymmetry is present at birth comes from several sources: physical structure of the brain, hand preference, and responses to visual and auditory stimuli. In infancy, a hemisphere is activated only when exposed to an appropriate stimulus. Different stimuli seem to activate one hemisphere only, or at least one hemisphere…

This article contains a review of recent research on the: (1) effects of immediate post partum mother infant contact; (2) effects of early separation of parents and babies in neonatal intensive care; and (3) facilitation of reciprocal interaction between mothers and their infants in neonatal intensive care. A brief description of a study that…

This paper offers a concise 3-page summary of the results of some investigations of sucking behavior during the neonatal period. This is followed by a page of references and 16 pages of pertinent diagrams and their descriptions. The investigations are the result of an objective technique developed for measuring the nutritive sucking behavior of…

Describes two experiments which examined the relation between neonatal cry features and obstetric histories. Experiment 1 showed differences in pitch and durational features between the cries of high- and low-complication newborns. Experiment 2 showed differences in the cry ratings of the two groups on dimensions such as aversive, sick, urgent,…

A historical review of neonatal assessment procedures is presented to demonstrate the trends in advancement of the field and attempts toward collaboration of medicine and psychology in contributions to the area. (Author/JMB)

This paper reviews a few studies, both in animals and humans, that are relevant in helping us to understand factors affecting infant-mother interaction. (MM)

This article is a critique of a study which concluded that there is a relationship between the use of obstetrical drugs and the behavior of infants during the first month of life. (BRT)

This article is a reply to a critique of the authors' study which concluded that there is a relationship between the use of obstetrical drugs and the behavior of infants during the first month of life. (BRT)

A series of experiments is described whose aim was to define certain of the effective dimensions of stimulation in the newborn's visual environment. (Author/JMB)

Studied neonatal imitative responses in the first hour postpartum of 12 infants in rural Nepal. Found that the newborns were able to imitate pursed lips and widened lips, which suggests that imitative capacity is present at birth. (SKC)

Mothers (N=67) with newborns who required intensive care were followed up six months after hospital discharge. Mothers' appraisals of risk and prevention were related to mood disturbance and attitudes toward future childbearing. The most important predictor of mothers' expectations of future pregnancies was whether the child was first born.…

Study evaluates the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) of 15 neonates born at-risk for neurological sequelae and 15 healthy controls. CNS information was generated through the use of two measures: (1) the Neurological and Adaptive Capacity Score (NACS) and the auditory brainstem response (ABR). (Author/RWB)

Research on perceptual and cognitive capacities of the newborn has revealed that state variables typically interfere with or override the neonate's attentional and stimulus processing tendencies. This finding argues for the power of early state variables as behavioral determinants and, further, that neonatal state measures might provide good…