Compares the responses of four-month-olds in two situations, one in which a moving peripheral stimulus follows a central fixation stimulus and another where the peripheral stimulus is simultaneous with the central fixation. Simultaneous presentation decreases visual orientation to the peripheral stimulus, but cardiac data indicate that the…

At least 30 percent of newborn children of alcoholic mothers are affected severely by the fetal alcohol syndrome and 40-45 percent show some stigmata. Risks to offspring of mothers who drink occasionally or binge drink are not clear, but the danger is probably greatest in the first trimester of pregnancy. (CMG)

The basic concepts of vulnerability and at-risk conditions in infancy in the context of what constitutes healthy development are discussed. Vulnerability refers to the weaknesses, of the child, where as at-risk refers to the interaction of the environment and the child. (Author/DB)

Administered the Bem Sex Role Inventory, the SCL-90, and a demographic questionnaire to 195 new mothers. Analysis showed new mothers classified as either androgynous or masculine tended to score lower on the dimensions reflecting psychological distress than feminine or undifferentiated women. Androgynous mothers tended to be less hostile. (JAC)

Using signal detectability theory, analysis was performed on auditory frequency sensitivity data obtained by Hutt et al, 1968, on human neonates. Reanalysis using 12 male infants confirms superiority of lower frequencies and square waves in provoking startles in neonates. No state of arousal effects were found on sensitivity. (JH)

Forgetting, as defined by Piaget as Stage IV error, was studied in infants. Results partially support Piaget's hypothesis. (ST)

A total of 43 infants were subjected to increasing intensities of a tactile stimulation (air puffs) until a behavioral response occured. All infants displayed increased heart rate responses at threshold. (ST)

Six-month and 12-month-old infants were studied for wariness (hesitancy to approach new and incongruous stimuli). Both age groups could perceive differences in stimuli, but only the older infants displayed wariness. (DP)

Infants 21- to 25-weeks-old devoted more visual fixation to novel than familiar stimuli on immediate and delayed recognition tests. The experiments confirm the existence of long-term recognition memory for pictorial stimuli in the early months of life. (DP)

Ordinality of three subtests of a sensory-motor series was evaluated in a longitudinal study of infants. Results indicated that scalability can be affected by the responses of infants at different developmental ages. (ST)

A study designed to investigate the effects of permanent maternal separation in infant rhesus monkeys, 60, 90, and 120 days of age, and housed individually or in Paris. Monkeys separated at 90 days and housed individually showed the highest levels of disturbance. (DP)

Concludes that both asymmetry of muscle tonus and somesthetic stimulation contribute to the normally occurring lateral differences in responsiveness, though other factors are involved. (MH)