How to be in a relationship may be the most important "skill" children ever learn. While many teachers acknowledge their importance in helping children learn early academic and social skills, they sometimes underestimate the value of their personal relationships with children as supports for children's healthy development and learning. This…

A differential susceptibility hypothesis proposes that children may differ in the degree to which parenting qualities affect aspects of child development. Infants with difficult temperaments may be more susceptible to the effects of parenting than infants with less difficult temperaments. Using latent change curve analyses to analyze data from the…

This report summarizes research and training activities between 1984 and 1987 of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Activities are reported for the following six maternal-infant emphasis areas: (1) high risk pregnancies; (2) fetal pathophysiology; (3) premature birth and labor;…

This publication includes proceedings from a fall 1989 meeting attended by representatives of projects funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the U.S. Public Health Service as part of its infant mortality reduction initiative. It also contains abstracts describing the funded projects and a list of products available to others interested…

Conference papers and discussions presented in this volume reflect recent research results that suggest the human infant is not a tabula rasa but an organism endowed at birth with an array of capabilities. Contents focus on several issues, including the possibility that infants have a rich affective life from their earliest days and that even…

The purpose of this thesis [Swedish language with English abstract and summary] was to study the reactions of infants when they started attending day care centers and to elucidate the process of adjustment. The theoretical perspective employed is the J. Bowlby/M. Ainsworth attachment theory. U. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human…

The Parent 'N' Me course at Fitchburg State College in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, is for parents who wish to observe the competency of their 2- to 6-month-old infants, encouraging an infant-oriented environment that allows the infants to become attentive, active, exploring individuals who reward themselves in the mastery of new tasks. The course…

Children today are entering day care at younger ages than earlier generations, prompting concern at the differences between day care and home environments. This paper considers the infant classroom in a day care setting, discussing methods of teaching and learning designed to promote authentic learning in a natural educational environment.…

Research findings are reviewed concerning infants' abilities to discriminate parents from other social stimuli during the first 6 months of life. The term "discrimination" is used to signify the ability of infants to respond differentially to two or more social stimuli. Studies reviewed are categorized in terms of the visual, auditory,…

Testimony in this congressional hearing focused on the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the major cause of death in infants over 1 month of age in the United States. Three panels of witnesses, comprised of concerned parents, academicians, and national and regional officers of service organizations, (1) provide an overview of the research and…

This study investigated whether the interactions of biological mothers and their offspring differ from those of institutional caregivers and infants in their charge. The subjects--43 three-month full-time Greek infants (22 home-reared infants and 21 from the institution, Babies' Center Metera) were studied while interacting with their primary…

The objectives of this study were to investigate (1) whether prior opinions concerning a child's sex influence the qualities attributed to the child; (2) whether differences exist in the responses of male and female raters; and (3) the effect of forced-choice responses vis-a-vis non-forced responses. An 8-minute videotape of a 22-month-old infant…

Findings from three studies that used a laboratory procedure to assess individual differences in various dimensions of infant temperament in relation to later Brazelton scores are presented. Participants included 59 healthy, full-term and sick, preterm infants. The sick, preterm infants included infants who developed respiratory or neurological…

Evidence concerning the developmental correlates of nonmaternal care in the first year of life are examined with respect to infant-mother attachment and subsequent social development. Even though the evidence is not without its inconsistencies, a circumstantial case, consistent with attachment theory, can be made that extensive infant day care…

This special UNICEF report documents the range of problems behind the decline of living standards in Africa and describes the practical steps which are being taken to confront the crisis. Discussed are (1) increasing implementation of immunization programs and progress in promoting oral rehydration therapy; (2) the impact on child survival and…