In these two studies, neonatal oculomotor behavior was observed under various conditions of visual and auditory stimulation. Findings showed auditory and visual perception to be relatively independent during the neonatal period. (Author/JMB)

Recorded the pattern of crying in neonates who were responding to natural infant cries, synthetic cries, and silence. (GO)

Results of an experiment with 6-month-old infants showed that response-independent auditory-visual reinforcement can elicit learned responses and that action-consequence learning in infants may consist of a combination of elicitation and conditioning. (Author/JMB)

Cognitive functioning at 15 months (as measured by the Uzgiris and Hunt scales) was examined in terms of individual differences in habituation of independent groups at 2, 3, and 4 months of age. (Author/JMB)

Investigated (1) the relationship between the quality of attachment and the development of symbolic play, and (2) differences in the ways mothers of secure and anxious children involved themselves in play. Frequency, duration, and complexity of children's play, along with differences in maternal involvement, were assessed across bimonthly free…

A high-amplitude sucking procedure, with synthesized female speech, was used to ascertain the effects of fundamental frequency, amplitude, and duration on discrimination of polysyllabic sequences. Results suggest that the exaggerated suprasegmentals of infant-directed speech may function as a perceptual catalyst, focusing the infant's attention on…

Infants were tested for their discrimination of changes in the melodic contour (direction of successive pitch changes) of brief melodies in the context of discernible variations in key or interval size. (PCB)

Explores development of cognitive representation in 20 infants 12 to 24 months of age with regard to (l) their understanding of agency in symbolic play (agent use), (2) recognition of their own mirror image, and (3) object permanence. Results were generally consistent with developmental sequences predicted by Fischer's Skill Theory for agent use…

The study examined differences in the distribution of spectral energy among four types of infant vocalizations via computerized spectral analyses. The mean spectral energy (MSE) of "pain induced" cries was significantly higher than those of "fussy" and "hungry" cries, and the MSE of all three cries was higher than…

Three experiments investigated the ability of seven-month-olds to categorize the facial expressions of happiness, fear, and surprise, which were depicted by degrees of intensity. Happiness could be distinguished in mild and extreme forms, but fear was difficult to discriminate from happiness or surprise. (SKC)

Hearing loss as a result of meningitis, now the leading nongenetic cause of deafness in infants and young children, may be reduced by the introduction of the HiB (Hemophilus influenzae type B) vaccine. It is highly effective, relatively safe, and recommended for most children over 24 months and high risk children 18-24 months old. (VW)

Offers an explanation of why Cohn and Tronick's (1988) result replicates that of Kaye and Fogel (1980) in spite of important differences in the way interactive behavior is conceptualized, coded, and treated statistically. Suggests that stochastic variability in onset times has profound implications for the understanding of interaction process and…

Studies of orientation perception in infants and children have revealed an "oblique effect," that is, a performance advantage for tasks involving horizontal and vertical stimulus orientations compared with tasks involving oblique orientations. The two studies reported support the hypothesis that oblique stimulus orientations are treated…

Convergent validity, temporal stability, and age-related patterning of measures of infant temperament were examined in a longitudinal study of 46 infants at three, six, and nine months of age. Infant Behavior Questionnaire and home observations showed convergent validity. Composite measures of positive and negative reactivity and overall…