Infants' visual perception of number change was investigated in three studies. These studies focused on infants' perception of events in which the total number of objects in a small group was changed through addition of another object. Involving 60 infants 5 months of age, Study I attempted to determine whether subjects perceived the properties in…

Because parents-to-be in Santa Barbara needed hands-on, practical assistance prior to the birth of their child, Postpartum Education for Parents (PEP) volunteers organized the Baby Basics program. Like all PEP services, Baby Basics is a supplement to, but not a substitute for, medical advice. Part 1 of this guide describes the history, philosophy,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the alternative forms of young children's help-seeking in free play and problem-solving contexts. A total of 72 children aged 18 (N=36) and 24 (N=36) months were observed in pairs in free play and problem-solving settings, as well as in different social contexts--same-age versus mixed-age pairing. Both…

Discussed are methodological aspects of three symposium papers on process approaches to individual differences in infancy. Fagan's (1987) research is viewed as an important contribution to the growing literature that demonstrates that process measures, that is, information processing behaviors, may provide a useful reflection of early to later…

The purpose of this study was to longitudinally examine the development of anticipatory visual search and to find out the effects of preceding experiences upon the search during the second year of life. The sample consisted of 18 Japanese firstborn nonretarded children from middle-class families who were individually tested at 11, 12, 14, 16, 22,…

Summarizes study findings related to the effects of continuous monotonous stimulation on sleep and its physiological parameters in early infancy. (ED)

Research supported by U.S. Public Health Service Grant MH-6415.

This three-part study of early identification of developmental deficiencies in high risk infants was undertaken to determine whether infant performance can be predicted from neonatal and developmental criteria. Part I of the study began in 1977 and used 284 high risk infants as subjects. Part II was initiated in 1978. Subjects were 14 full-term,…

In this study of early peer interaction, 32 first born infants (16 boys, 16 girls) were videotaped in pairs at 6, 9 and 12 months. Each 15 minute session consisted of Toys Present (TP) and Toys Absent(TA) conditions counterbalanced across dyads. Three questions were addressed: (1) Are infants as young as 6 months capable of interacting with a…

Two-year-olds' reactions to strangers were related to ratings of their emotionality, sociability and activity and to ratings of parental love and control by both fathers and mothers. Each child received two sessions with strangers, one male and one female. Four times per session a stranger, in a friendly manner, approached each child as it sat in…

This paper deals with research on the development of infants' ability to perceive invariant features of things and the relation of objects to both the spatial layout of the infants' environment and to themselves. Basic assumptions regarding the perception of invariance are discussed and a theoretical view of the role of motion in the development…

This paper describes the initial organization of the infant's reaction to having his vision occluded by an opaque cloth; traces the development of this reaction over the first six months; and probes the role the occlusion of vision plays in provoking the reaction. Fifty videotaped sessions of infants during two conditions - eyes covered with an…

A looming paradigm was used to determine what depth information infants process in addition to that provided by the expansion of a single, closed contour of an object. A total of 18 male and 15 female infants aged 22-48 days watched a film in which the circular elements and inter-element spaces of the projected image alternately expanded and…

The objective of this study was to provide intensive, consistent experience in the following developmental areas: relation to objects and vocal and gestural imitation. The curriculum was developed in an inner city industry-based day care center with 14 infants aged 8 to 19 months initially. The Hunt-Uzgiris Scales measuring development in these…

This study investigated the common practice in infant research of eliminating from reported data large numbers of subjects who prove uncooperative (sleepy, fatigued, fussy) during the experiment. It was suggested that these excluded infants constitute a special class of subjects and that the inclusion of their data would greatly alter the research…