Mothers from inner-city, poor families with high-risk infants were interviewed when their infants were three months of age concerning sources of support (e.g., fathers, relatives, friends) and types of support received (e.g., goods, services, advice, financial support). Observations of the mother-infant interaction in a free-play setting were also…

Effects of maltreatment were examined in three domains suggested by attachment theory: relationships with novel adults, effectance motivation, and cognitive maturity. Three samples of four- to eight-year-old children were studied: 93 maltreated children, 67 demographically matched nonmaltreated childen, and 30 nonmaltreated middle-class children.

Examined parents' responses to emotional distress in their preschool children and assessed the relation of these responses to children's competence. Data on parent-child interactions was collected for 30 families by means of home observations, parent self-reports, observer ratings, and child interviews. Preschool competence was assessed by teacher…

Toddlers' play with care-giving adults, and with toys and peers, was observed and rated in family day care homes. Participants were 55 children, their mothers, and family day care home providers. The quality of the family day care home was assessed. Mothers reported information on family stress, social support, child-rearing attitudes, and…

Correlates of father involvement were examined in 40 dual- and single-earner families with 1- to 25-month-old children. Fathers' work hours, sex role attitudes, perceived child care skill and perceived love for wives were assessed. On nine occasions, parents were asked to report on child care, leisure activities, and marital interactions during…

Competence and self-esteem of 445 fifth- and sixth-graders were examined across a one-year period. Half of the children made the transition from elementary to secondary school and the other half continued in the same school. Beginning at the end of the school year before transition, self- and teacher-ratings of competence were administered at…

Examines the impact of pubertal status and timing, independent of chronological age, on the family relationships of adolescents in 204 families with a firstborn child between the ages of 10 and 15. Measures included adolescent and parental reports of closeness, confict, and autonomy and assessments of adolesents' pubertal status and pubertal…

The correspondence of left-right confusion in children to the bilateral symmetry in the nervous system was tested by presenting left-right and up-down discrimination-learning tasks to 80 preschoolers who viewed these stimuli from either an upright or 90-degree-rotated body position. The data contradict anatomical model predictions. (Author/BN)

Sequences of mastery behavior were analyzed in a sample of 67 infants 6 to 12 months old. Authors computed (a) frequencies of six categories of mastery behavior, transitional probabilities, and z scores for each behavior change, and (b) transitions from a mastery behavior to positive affect. Changes in frequencies and similarity in organization…

A study investigated early aspects of Type A behavior by assessing children's goal setting and parents' aspirations for their children. Teachers of 73 fourth through sixth grade children rated them for Type A behavior. A replication study of parental aspiration findings was conducted. Results show fathers may strongly influence development of Type…

Reports longitudinal data on the link between the affective quality of the mother-child relationship and school-relevant cognitive performance. Sixty-seven mothers and their children participated in the first (preschool) phase of the study; 47 mothers were included in a follow-up when children were 12 years old. (Author/BN)

The predictive relation between neonatal behavior and temperament at 24 months was examined for 67 infants selected from the full socioeconomic status (SES) distribution. Initial ratings were made when the infants were one to four days old. Irritable neonates were rated as more upset, less attentive to stimuli, and less responsive to the staff at…

Fifty-six 12-month-old infants, (10 maltreated infants; 18 nonmaltreated, high-risk infants; and 28 matched low-income controls) were videotaped at home with their mothers for 40 minutes and were observed two weeks later in the Ainsworth Strange Situation. Maltreating mothers could be discriminated by uninformed coders from nonmaltreating mothers.…

Reports relationship between asymmetries in frontal-brain electrical activity and individual differences in affective response in 35 ten-month-old females. Stranger-approach, mother-approach, and maternal-separation experiences were presented while an electroencephalogram (EEG) from scalp regions was recorded and facial and other behavioral…

Explored infants' capability to request a partner's participation in social games. Nineteen infants who were 9, 12, 15, and 18 months old played games for 30 minutes in a laboratory setting with an adult partner. Children's nonverbal behavior and vocalizations after the adult discontinued play were compared with behavior during game-playing…