This study assessed the quality of caregiver-infant feeding interaction with 3- and 9-month-old infants. Findings on several measures indicated that caregivers appear to be more vigilant to their infants' needs at three months than at nine months, although infants became clearer in their cues by nine months. Maternal personality was not related to…

A total of 48 mother-infant pairs were observed and rated in face-to-face interaction when the infant was 4 months old, and in the Ainsworth Strange Situation when the infant was 12 months old. Mothers' marital satisfaction and social support, and the involvement and support of the child's father, were assessed. The mothers constituted a low…

This study examined infants' reactions to new people by manipulating the social context in which infants became acquainted with new people. Infants (N=48) met someone new in the presence of another unfamiliar adult and their mothers. The new acquaintance either: (1) chatted and worked on a puzzle with the mother; (2) remained silent and worked on…

This study examined sequential dependencies in behavior of 10 mother-infant dyads recorded when the infants were at 7 and 20 weeks of age in an effort to determine the extent to which individuals behave responsively to their partners during interactions. Ten maternal actions and 10 infant actions were selected in face-to-face interactions. Actions…

DiPietro, Larson, and Porges (1987) found behavioral and physiological differences between breast-fed and bottle-fed newborns. It was suggested that breast-feeding is associated with more optimal physiological organization and with increased irritable reactivity early in the neonatal period. The present study investigated whether breast-fed…

A study is described, the results of which indicate that mothers can recognize the cries of their own infants from tape-recorded cry samples with few instances of confusion, and that the sex of an unknown infant cannot be reliably identified using a simple auditory identification paradigm. (Author/RM)

Reports on a portion of a long-term investigation carried out to determine the prognostic significance of newborn behavioral assessments for later development and behavior, in terms of identifying a subpopulation which would be a high risk group. (Author/SDH)

Presented are practical ideas parents can use to prevent and manage excessive crying during their infant's first year. Designed to foster the development of children's physical and emotional independence, the ideas discussed concern (1) the changing functions of crying throughout the infant's first year, (2) causes of crying, (3) the intellectual…

Results of a series of studies suggested that excessive early vocal stimulation may be detrimental to infants' cognitive processing, and that optimal development may be associated with a moderate amount of early stimulation. Study 1 involved 59 3-month-old infants and their mothers. Study 2 observed 23 mothers and infants seen 3 months after the…

This paper questions social interaction studies that use frequency or duration of behaviors in mother-infant relations as reliable measures of infant interactive competence. An infant's high score on frequency and duration tests may falsely indicate that the child is more communicative than other subjects. Such results may suggest that mother and…

Parent ability to diagnose the cause of non-contingent crying in an infant was investigated through use of a new methodological instrument. Problems programmed on a microcomputer presented 25 information units leading to only one correct causal hypothesis about infant crying and 25 information units similarly structured about an adult woman's…

In his article "The 'Effects' of Infant Day Care Reconsidered," Jay Belsky (see PS 017 108) concludes that maternal employment puts infants at risk for developing emotional insecurity and social maladjustment. After a review of Belsky's and other research, a different conclusion is offered in this paper. It is agreed that infants whose…

Observations in an infant day care program in which mothers take part indicated "jealousy" in infants as young as 5 months when they saw their mother or even the assigned caregiver paying attention to another infant. A total of 18 first-born females between 11 and 13 months of age were the subjects in a systematic study of this…

The booklet provides background information on the diagnosis and characteristics of autism. A chart portrays the signs and symptoms, followed by the definition of the syndrome by the National Society For Children and Adults with Autism. Associated features are noted along with information on age of onset, etiology, incidence and sex ratio,…