Study supported in part by Research Grant MH-13703-01 from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Research supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant MH-6415.

In this study of early peer interaction, 32 first born infants (16 boys, 16 girls) were videotaped in pairs at 6, 9 and 12 months. Each 15 minute session consisted of Toys Present (TP) and Toys Absent(TA) conditions counterbalanced across dyads. Three questions were addressed: (1) Are infants as young as 6 months capable of interacting with a…

Two-year-olds' reactions to strangers were related to ratings of their emotionality, sociability and activity and to ratings of parental love and control by both fathers and mothers. Each child received two sessions with strangers, one male and one female. Four times per session a stranger, in a friendly manner, approached each child as it sat in…

This paper deals with research on the development of infants' ability to perceive invariant features of things and the relation of objects to both the spatial layout of the infants' environment and to themselves. Basic assumptions regarding the perception of invariance are discussed and a theoretical view of the role of motion in the development…

This paper describes the initial organization of the infant's reaction to having his vision occluded by an opaque cloth; traces the development of this reaction over the first six months; and probes the role the occlusion of vision plays in provoking the reaction. Fifty videotaped sessions of infants during two conditions - eyes covered with an…

A looming paradigm was used to determine what depth information infants process in addition to that provided by the expansion of a single, closed contour of an object. A total of 18 male and 15 female infants aged 22-48 days watched a film in which the circular elements and inter-element spaces of the projected image alternately expanded and…

Two observers who were using an electronic digital data acquisition system were spot checked for reliability at random times over a four month period. Between-and within-observer reliability was assessed for frequency, duration, and duration-per-event measures of four infant behaviors. The results confirmed the problem of observer drift--the…

An unfamiliar or strange situation was used as a setting to highlight individual differences in an infant's responses to brief separations from his mother and his reactions to a stranger. Two groups were observed, one composed of 23 white, middle class mother-infant pairs, the other of 33 pairs. Eight episodes, presented in fixed order for all…

Sixteen white home-reared babies (eight boys - eight girls) ranging in age from six months to two years were studied during home visits. Piaget's sensory-motor development theory of imitation was employed, and his special thesis of the hierarchical sequence was tested. The examiner proposed four critieria for assessing the development of imitation…

The objective of this study was to provide intensive, consistent experience in the following developmental areas: relation to objects and vocal and gestural imitation. The curriculum was developed in an inner city industry-based day care center with 14 infants aged 8 to 19 months initially. The Hunt-Uzgiris Scales measuring development in these…

This study investigated the common practice in infant research of eliminating from reported data large numbers of subjects who prove uncooperative (sleepy, fatigued, fussy) during the experiment. It was suggested that these excluded infants constitute a special class of subjects and that the inclusion of their data would greatly alter the research…

Individual differences in four separation-related behaviors, protest, following, and positive greetings or crying on reunion, were examined for 26 infants observed intensively at home during the fourth quarter-year, and considered in relation to one another, to other infant behaviors, and to maternal behavior. Contrary to Freudian and other…

Results showed that 2- and 3-dimensional forms affected 4- and 8-week-old infant visual behavior differently. (Author/JMB)