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…

This study investigated whether children oversized at birth, like those undersized at birth, have an increased chance of mental subnormality. Subjects were 4-year-olds born of urban disadvantaged white mothers whose average education was 10.8 years. Stanford-Binet intelligence scores of the subjects were compared to their birth weights. Between…

A simple test of ocular dominance in infants is described. In the test, a small point of light is gradually brought closer to the observer along the medial plane. As the light draws closer, in typical cases, one eye will cease to converge, or frequently, it will break from convergence suddenly. The eye which ceases converging or breaks away from…

This paper is a discussion of the different contexts in which the concept of the infant's state is used in infant research. The infant states discussed are: regular sleep, irregular sleep, drowsiness, alert inactivity, waking activity, and crying. Also included are hunger periods and indeterminate states, those instances in which an infant's state…

The stability of eight attachment behaviors was investigated in two samples of infants. One sample observed at 10 and 14 months of age, the other sample at 14 and 18 months. For each testing period, the infants were observed during two sessions: (a) in the presence of the mother; and (b) before, during, and after a brief separation experience.…

The role of genetic factors in infant response to redundancy was evaluated through observation of the behavior of three sets of same-sex fraternal twins and six sets of same-sex identical twins to combinations of redundant proprioceptive and auditory stimulation. The twins ranged in age from 6 weeks to 24 weeks. One member of each twin set was…

The present study examined infants' reactions to separation from and reunion with their mothers, and attempted to determine if these behaviors were related to the infants' experiences with their mothers at home. The subjects, 60 Caucasian mother-infant pairs, were observed at home two hours on each of two days and in a laboratory setting. The…

Modeling techniques and reinforcements for imitation of 35 mothers were recorded as the mothers interacted with their 19-month-old infants in a seminaturalistic setting. Children's imitations and mothers' reinforcements for imitation were found to be complexly related. (GO)

British Medical Journal, 1172 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02134. The effectiveness of current audiometric screening programs was evaluated in Scotland with 535 infants, using both conventional hearing tests and pure-tone audiometry. (Author/DLS)

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,…

Outlines two competing hypotheses concerning the nature of inter-modal sensory development. Research on auditory-visual coordination in young human infants is reviewed. It is concluded that the data support the notion of ontogenetic development being a process of intergration between sensory systems that are initially relatively independent.…

Investigates the vocal interaction of ten British working-class women and their children (average age of 11.4 months). (MP)

An effective model for training foster parents, developed jointly by an early childhood program and a foster care agency, is briefly discussed. (Author/SE)

The author reviews the needs of normal infants and young children and considers some of the difficulties faced by handicapped children. (CL)

Reports on a study utilizing an observation technique to measure various parameters of developmental activity of malnourished babies as compared to normal control babies and to obese babies. (BD/BR)