The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of early maternal touch to the neurodevelopmental status of low birth weight (LBW) infants. One hundred and eight LBW infants and their mothers were videotaped during a typical feeding when the infant was 3 months old. This tape was used to analyze both the mother's touch and other facets…

The complexities of neurobehavioral assessment of the fetus, which can be neither directly viewed nor manipulated, cannot be understated. Impetus to develop methods for measuring fetal neurobehavioral development has been provided by the recognition that individual differences in neurobehavioral functioning do not originate with birth and…

Preference orderings among a set of options may depend on the elicitation method (e.g., choice or pricing); these preference reversals challenge traditional decision theories. Previous attempts to explain these reversals have relied on allowing utility of the options to change across elicitation methods by changing the decision weights, the…

Stress facilitates memory formation, but only when the stressor is closely linked to the learning context. These effects are, at least in part, mediated by corticosteroid hormones. Here we demonstrate that corticosterone rapidly facilitates synaptic potentiation in the mouse hippocampal CA1 area when high levels of the hormone and high-frequency…

The widely used Pavlovian fear-conditioning paradigms used for studying the neurobiology of learning and memory have mainly used auditory cues as conditioned stimuli (CS). The present work assessed the neural network involved in olfactory fear conditioning, using olfactory bulb stimulation-induced field potential signal (EFP) as a marker of…

Many studies of the neural mechanisms of learning have focused on habituation, a simple form of learning in which a response decrements with repeated stimulation. In the siphon-elicited siphon withdrawal reflex (S-SWR) of the marine mollusk "Aplysia," the prevailing view is that homosynaptic depression of primary sensory afferents underlies…

Recognition of teachers has been a focus of the Diamond Jubilee Year of the National Council of Teachers of English (1985-86), which honors the outstanding teachers of some of the nation's leaders in this collection of testimonials about the influence these teachers have had on their lives. Contributors to the collection are Margaret Walker…

The document looks at left/right brain research as it relates to learning styles and teaching styles, particularly in special education. An initial section on brain basics covers the history of brain research, methods of investigation, cerebral dominance, divisions of labor of the bifunctional brain, language and related functions, bilingualism,…

The second year progress report provides information on a program to provide early intervention for high risk infants and their adolescent mothers at the National Children's Center, Washington, D.C., which provided two infant stimulation classes 5 days per week for 15 handicapped children (6 to 36 months). Program accomplishments are reported in…

Presented is a language stimulation curriculum guide designed for severely mentally retarded institutionalized persons. Pre- and post-assessments and behavioral objectives with teaching suggestions are provided for the following curriculum areas: early motor development (such as sitting, crawling, and walking skills); adaptive skills (including…

A study was undertaken on the effects of a specific parent administered infant language stimulation program, beginning at birth, on the longitudinal development of 60 normal first born infants. All infants and their environments were tested in their homes at 6 weeks and at 6 months utilizing the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the HOME…

Sixteen preschool-age hearing-impaired children were studied to explore the general nature of their cognitive development and to identify relationships between environmental processes and cognitive development. Data were obtained from administration of the Infant Psychological Development Scale and the Inventory of Home Stimulation (when Ss were…

Presented are the final reports of a two-part project designed to measure the effect of an intensive inpatient developmental program on 40 young multi-handicapped children (18-36 months old) and their parents. Part 1 describes a system developed and tested to record and analyze changes in child functioning. Reported are results from…

This extensive bibliography (over 475 citations) provides references to programs and persons responsible for shaping ideas and practices relating to infant stimulation, education, and assessment of such efforts. The references are divided into six sections: (1) Curricula for Infant Education Programs, (2) Materials for the Education and Training…

This day care center, operated by Syracuse University and serving 100 children (birth to 3-year-old), admits only one child per family. The child must be the first or second child in a family where both parents have high school education or less and earn less than $5,000 per year. The program philosophy maintains that quality day care must carry…