This databook describes the status of maternal and child health in America; the nation's progress in reducing infant mortality, low birthweight babies, and the percentage of pregnant women who receive late or no prenatal care; patterns of teenage and out-of-wedlock childbearing; and the extent to which certain safety net programs, such as Aid to…

The primary purpose of this study was to describe the linguistic behavior exhibited by a female subject (age 2 years, 4 months) during naturally occurring social interaction with children of different ages. Verbal and nonverbal behavior were studied; of additional interest were variables influencing the emergence of linguistic behavior. Data were…

This paper discusses a series of three studies investigating the influence of infants' characteristics and signaling behavior on parents. Videotapes of either smiling/cooing/gurgling or crying infants were used to elicit parents' physiological and affective responses. Measured physiological responses included skin conductance, heart rate, and…

A study was undertaken on the effects of a specific parent administered infant language stimulation program, beginning at birth, on the longitudinal development of 60 normal first born infants. All infants and their environments were tested in their homes at 6 weeks and at 6 months utilizing the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and the HOME…

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether infants categorized as demonstrating good or poor neuromuscular integrity (voluntary motor abilities reflecting movement coordination) would show differences in use of sensory motor schemas. Subjects were 26 full-term (10 males, 16 females) and 10 premature infants (6 males, 4 females)…

Research pertaining to infant care and development is surveyed for the purpose of providing information for the improvement of services for school-age parents with infants. Computerized searches were used to identify relevant materials dated 1967-72. Studies dealing with infant development (e.g., perception, conditioning, the infant-adult…

This paper describes five experimental studies which explored the influence of fathers' home caregiving and interactional characteristics on their infant's laboratory behavior. Approximately 300 families with children ranging in age from 6 to 24 months were studied. Each infant's reactions were observed as a function of the manipulation of the…

This study investigates three types of reciprocal interactions among members of the family unit (father, mother and infant): father-infant interaction affecting child's development, father-infant interaction affecting mother's behavior, and husband-wife interaction affecting mother's behavior. Data from a sample of 39 healthy first-born infants…

Research was undertaken to determine what informal education practices lend themselves to the precocity in sensorimotor development noted among Bagandan infants in Uganda, relative to their American white and black counterparts. With the assistance of a Muganda midwife/nurse a prenatal questionnaire was answered by women visiting antenatal clinics…

This paper presents some findings of a detailed analysis of infants' approach behavior in a familiar, naturalistic setting. A total of 26, white, middle-class infant-mother pairs were observed in the home every three weeks during the first year of the child's life. Instances of infant approach to both mother and observer were coded from the…

Contents of this symposium include the following papers: "Effect of Maternal Protein Malnutrition on Neonatal Lung Development and Mitochondrial Function," E. J. Hawrylewicz, J. Q. Kissane, W. H. Blair and C. A. Heppner; "Effect of the Level of Nutrition on Rates of Cell Proliferation and of RNA and Protein Syntheses in the Rat," L. M. Roeder;…

Reviews research on, and offers definitions for, play and learning in infancy. Discusses the developmental sequence in early exploratory play and learning, individual differences in exploratory play, and the relationship between rearing environments and quality of exploratory play. Discusses implications for planning and implementing infant care…

Reviews recent product-oriented outcome studies from the perspective of whether VLBW (very low birthweight) infants born since 1975 (when intensive care methods became relatively stabilized in effectiveness) show behavioral problems, intellectual impairment, linguistic or social deficits. (RWB)

Discusses problems of development and education of premature children, uses of a psychomotor scale of development from 1 month to 6 years, and theories of general infant and child development. (MS)

Distributed by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services, this Spanish-languagepamphlet provides parents with information and advice about their infants in the eleventh month of life. Following a brief description of developmental characteristics at this age, the pamphlet offers advice on a variety of topics,…