In this study, 1.5-year-olds were taught a novel word. Some children were familiarized with the word's phonological form before learning the word's meaning. Fidelity of phonological encoding was tested in a picture-fixation task using correctly pronounced and mispronounced stimuli. Only children with additional exposure in familiarization showed…

This article describes and evaluates an activity designed to demonstrate how biological factors (e.g., genetics), individual-level behaviors (e.g., smoking), and social factors (e.g., socioeconomic status) shape health status and access to health care. Active learning techniques were utilized to introduce the sociological imagination as it…

The "Back to Sleep" public health campaign, which recommends that infants be placed on their backs for sleeping help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), was initiated in 1994. The campaign was led by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and co-sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service, the…

Noting that today's short hospital stays leave almost no time for educating parents on caring for a newborn, this viewer's guide and videotape explore what to expect the first month after birth. The first part of the viewer's guide presents an overview of the videotape and suggestions for discussion and research in the context of a parenting…

Videotapes of mother/infant pairs were made to assess the influence of selected infant and maternal characteristics on parent/child interaction. Characteristics of interest were infant mental age, infant chronological age, infant gender, and parity. Subjects were 37 mothers (20 primiparous, 17 multiparous) and their infants (19 males, 18 females)…

This study examined differences between premature and fullterm infants and their mothers in three areas: infant characteristics, early mother-infant interaction and mothers' emotional involvement when the child was 9 months old. Forty-nine low-income black mothers and their infants (26 prematures, 23 fullterms) participated in the study. In…

This study was designed to explore the effects of vestibular stimulation on the developmental behavior, respiratory functioning, weight and length gains, and morbidity and mortality rates of premature infants. A total of 20 infants participated in this study in 4 groups of 5 infants each. Group A infants were placed in a motorized hammock within…

Twenty matched mother-infant dyads were studied one, two, and three months after expected date of birth. Full-term infants were more active than pre-terms at four weeks, and their interactions were related to maternal experiences. Mothers of pre-terms showed differences in their interactions at all times. Degree of neonatal illness was correlated…

This paper asserts that the more enriching the interactions and experiences that parents and child caregivers provide to very young children, the more chances they are providing for growing neural connections and pathways in the brain to support language, reasoning, and planning skills; mental health and emotional well-being; and motor…

Noting that maternal depression is common during a baby's first year, this study examined the interaction of depressed and non-depressed mother-child dyads. A sample of 26 first-time mothers with postpartum depression at the third month after birth and their 3-month-old infants was compared to a sample of 25 first-time mothers with no postpartum…

This pamphlet, distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, is designed to provide parents with information and advice about their infants in the first month of life. The pamphlet provides information on ways the mother can take care of herself, the one-month checkup, early brain development, infant…

This pamphlet, distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, is designed to provide parents with information and advice about their infants in the first month of life. The pamphlet provides information on ways the mother can take care of herself, the one-month checkup, early brain development, infant…

This document is comprised of the four 2000-2001 issues of a quarterly journal for teachers and parents of children in Montessori infant and toddler programs. The Spring 2000 issue presents articles on introducing cultural subjects to toddlers and on the influence of early experience on brain development. The Summer 2000 issue includes an article…

Examines the relationship and predictive power of the Early Language Milestone Scale-2 (ELM-2)and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II (BSID-II). Both scales were administered to 90 infants at risk for developmental delay due to prematurity and low birth weight. Results of the ELM-2 correlated with BSID-II scores of infants 12 months of age.…

This study attempted to distinguish between the ambivalent response of shyness and the more potent negative affect of fear in infancy. Sixty infants between 9 and 12 months of age participated in two laboratory situations: a nonsocial situation involving the presentation of a mechanical toy; and a social situation involving a standardized stranger…