This study examined physiological and behavioral stress reactivity in perinates in order to determine whether sex differences exist before extensive socialization. Fetal plasma cortisol response to the stress of labor and delivery, and neonatal heart rate and salivary cortisol response to a Brazelton Neonatal Assessment (NBAS), were measured. Male…

Looking beyond the overall effectiveness of sensory stimulation, this study aimed to identify specific aspects of infant behavior most responsive to early stimulation. Subjects were 65 premature infants with a birth weight of less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces and a gestational age under 37 weeks. Experimental group members had completed a multimodal…

Results are described of a study of vocalizations of two female infants, classified as cry, discomfort, and vegetative sounds, recorded between one and eight weeks of age. The implications for later speech development are discussed. (Author/RM)

Reports two experiments which were designed to establish whether errors in infants' manual searches for objects are caused by changes in the location of an object or by the change in the relation between old and new hiding places. (JMB)

Describes some of the ways in which members of the New Orleans Parent Child Developmental Center work with parents of children 6-18 months to aid them in creating a stimulating and interesting environment for their children. (ED)

Infants' exploration of their environment has been considered by Piaget and others to provide a vehicle for cognitive development. Little research, however, has examined in detail what infants actually do while exploring or how exploratory behavior is related to other aspects of cognitive functioning. The present investigation was designed to…

The appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants from 30 pairs of full-term and 15 pairs of preterm same-sex twins were compared for neonatal temperament. The evaluation of neonatal temperament included ratings of irritability, resistance to soothing, activity level, reactivity, and reinforcement value. Results…

An experiment was designed to demonstrate that infants as young as 3 months of age would show face/voice coordination in matched and mismatched conditions if exposure trials were extended to 1 minute in duration. A total of 16 infants participated in each of four experimental conditions. Conditions were (1) mother present with mother's voice…

The purpose of this study was to empirically corroborate the hypothesis of Campos and Izard that the organized quality of infant emotion functions as a predominant means of communication during infancy. The study was designed to determine whether 6-month-old infants' facial expressions of emotion "systematically co-occur" with specific…

Human neonates selectively fixated patterns with curved rather than straight contours when the outermost contours differed in this form variable and when quantitative variables were controlled. Data indicated the presence from birth of a discrimination ability basic to later form perception. (Author/ED)