Four groups of infants, 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months of age, were presented with repeated speech stimuli which were synthesized exemplars of the sound, "baba," natural exemplars of "baba" or "kaba," or novel syllables on each trial. (RH)

Tests the hypothesis that infants may learn to respond to cues which consistently specify the ultimate location of an object which is displaced while invisible. Subjects were 96 nine-month-old infants. (MP)

Two experiments probed 8-month-olds' ability to represent different kinds of entities: rigid, cohesive objects; flexible, cohesive objects; and non-rigid, non-cohesive portions of sand. Results suggest that the processes by which infants individuate and track entities are sensitive to material kind, rigid cohesive objects occupy a privileged…

Examines spontaneous temporally patterned stimulation of 17 mothers and their 3-month-old infants. Mothers used an impressive variety of temporally patterned behaviors. Factors relating to infant responsiveness contributed to the variability. (RJC)

Infant cortisol and behavioral responses to receiving one versus two inoculations on one pediatric office visit were observed at two and six months of age. The findings indicate a developmental trend for a decline over age in adrenocortical reactivity to inoculation for infants showing a cortisol release following perturbation. Results were…

Used results of a study of 5 month olds and a study of 5-11 month olds to differentiate subtypes of infant mouthing. Only certain types of mouthing constituted exploratory activity. The process of mouthing an object then looking at it can be designated as exploratory mouthing. (BG)

Assessed delayed-response performance in 120 infants 7, 9, and 11 months old. Correct response was identified as either retrieval of a hidden object or a gaze toward its location. Performance improved with age, was above chance for each age group in each condition, and was more often correct for gaze response, suggesting a significant effect of…

The Infant Temperament Questionnaire was used to assess behavioral peculiarities of 30 infants born with low birth weight (LBW), compared to two control infants of normal birth weight assigned to each LBW case. LBW was significantly associated with infant's adaptability, with LBW infants presented as slower adapting. This behavioral feature was…

Maintains author's interpretation of 6-month-olds' behavior is consistent with task requirements in the 2000 study and previous work showing that infants use explanatory inferences to make sense of their world. Asserts that ability to understand that people communicate with persons but act on objects is precursor to infants' understanding at 9 to…

Little is known about the acoustic cues infants might use to selectively attend to one talker in the presence of background noise. This study examined the role of talker familiarity as a possible cue. Infants either heard their own mothers (maternal-voice condition) or a different infant's mother (novel-voice condition) repeating isolated words…

Despite the fact that early childhood preservice teachers are typically being prepared to work with children from birth through age 8, preservice field experiences with infants continue to be largely missing in early childhood teacher preparation programs Since the education and care of infants often takes place in vastly different settings than…

Hays (1996) was the first to describe the construct of intensive mothering beliefs, yet little empirical research exists to substantiate its prevalence among contemporary mothers and its implications for their lives. The purpose of this study was to examine the construct of intensive mothering beliefs and its longitudinal associations with…

In 2008, the Shreveport-Bossier Community Foundation selected education, health, and poverty as funding priorities. But the foundation realized that it needed more specific guidelines on how best to distribute grants. RAND developed a framework for making investment decisions that incorporates the best of traditional decision making approaches.…

Infants most vulnerable to trauma are often the least able to access interventions. Universal child-serving systems, such as primary pediatrics, early care and education, and the child welfare system, can offer a port of entry for millions of children annually for trauma-related supports and services. However, practitioners in these systems have…

Three general purposes of research in human development are to explain, predict, and modify behavior. Studies of listening during early childhood (birth through age eight) are of particular significance to the field because they enable researchers to describe listening processes from their very origins (explain), they demonstrate the effects of…