Rejects the neuronal fatigue, or selective adaptation, hypothesis of young infant habituation. Holds that studies cited by Dannemiller and Banks do not support the inferences of selective adaptation. Rejects the hypothetical neurophysiological mechanism of neuronal fatigue. Proposes that studies do not indicate that young infants' visual cortical…

Young infants remember their prior experiences for relatively long periods with surprising specificity, and even seemingly forgotten memories can often be reactivated to further protract retention. These reactivations can be programmed in ways that optimize cumulative learning and retention, based on the principles embodied in the time-window…

Compared the attachment classification distributions of 23 infants in Israeli kibbutzim with communal sleeping arrangements with those of 25 infants in kibbutzim with home-based sleeping arrangements. Among the home-based infants, 80% were securely attached to their mothers versus only 48% of the infants in communal sleeping arrangements. (MDM)

Examined facial expressions in relation to cognition in infants 2 to 8 months of age. A total of 48 subjects received an audiovisual stimulus contingent on arm movement, whereas 32 infants did not control the stimulus. Infants in the contingent group expressed greater interest and joy during learning and greater anger during extinction. (RH)

Mothers' emotion and personality characteristics were assessed by behavior ratings and self-reports; infants' characteristics by maternal reports and objective coding. Security of infant-mother attachment in the Ainsworth Strange Situation was predicted by mothers' emotional experience, expressive behavior, and personality traits, and by infants'…

Four experiments examined 8- to 12-month olds on search and nonsearch A not B tasks, a one-location task, and control tasks. Results indicated memory for where object was hidden and expectations of where it should be found. The effect occurred at delays at which infants made the A not B error when searching, and at a longer 15-second delay.…

Studied feeding-related arousal effects on a visual recognition paired-comparison task at newborn, 1, and 4 months of age. Found that newborns and 1-month olds shifted from a familiarity preference before feeding to a novelty preference after feeding. Control-group testing confirmed that shift was not due to increased stimulus exposure. By 4…

Introduces the concepts of online and offline sampling and highlights the role of online sampling in agent-based models of learning and development. Compares the strengths of each approach for modeling particular developmental phenomena and research questions. Describes a recent agent-based model of infant causal perception. Discusses limitations…

A brief history is provided of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a treatment option for infants that provides prolonged circulation and reoxgenation of blood outside the body to temporarily support a failing heart or lungs. The University of Kentucky ECMO program is described, along with the positive outcomes of 19 infants. (Contains…

Examined visual attention and implications for recognition memory in a longitudinal sample of full-term and preterm infants at 5, 7, and 12 months. Found differences between full-terms and preterms in several aspects of visual attention. Infants showed consistent attentional styles over various conditions. Shorter looks and higher shift rates…

Used NICHD Early Child Care data to examine effects of attentional persistence on relationship of infant negative emotionality to age 3 outcomes. Found that high negative emotionality related to low social competence only when attentional persistence was poor. Found no moderating effects of attentional persistence for behavior problems. High…

Explored 14- and 18-month olds' ability to identify the target of the experimenter's emotional display of happiness or disgust in response to something seen or felt inside a box. Findings suggested that, regardless of age, infants used the experimenter's attentional cues to interpret her emotional signals and behaved as if they understood that she…

Introduces this special journal issue re-examining the contributions of Myrtle McGraw to developmental psychology in order to clarify misinterpretations of her work and to highlight dimensions that constitute promising lines of inquiry for contemporary researchers. Maintains that McGraw failed to receive credit for her alternative to…

Discusses how McGraw's work broached the notion of a reciprocal relationship between structural maturation and function, thus anticipating the current understanding of the role of experience in the cortical and motor maturation of infants in the first year of postnatal life. Also presents her clear formulation of a flexible critical period concept…

Reexamines McGraw's research and theoretical principles on early neuromotor development, focusing on unaided walking. Notes that contemporary research supports and clarifies her observations providing greater detail about factors involved in the formation of higher-order control, and amplifying the role of experience. Discusses possible mechanisms…