Sex-role expectations changes by fathers for their sons

One hundred nineteen white father-son pairs served as subjects in an effort to examine the impact on sex-role redefinitions of boys' behavior as a result of shifting cultural attitudes toward androgyny. Two major questions were addressed: a) Do fathers' general sex-role beliefs influence their attitudes about sex roles they would like their sons to hold? and b) Do fathers' desires for the sex role attitudes they would like their sons to hold influence the attitudes their sons actually hold? A strong, positive relationship between fathers' and sons' sex-role beliefs and expectations emerged, especially among fathers of adolescent boys. The results are discussed in terms of the fathers' role in shaping their sons' beliefs.     

Games fathers and mothers play with their infants

Both fathers and mothers successfully engaged their infants one to six months of age in interactive games in a laboratory play situation. Both parents played almost one game per minute with their infants. Mother played more conventional limb movement games and more distal, visual, attention maintaining games while fathers played more proximal, arousing, idiosyncratic limb movement games with their infants. Interactive games with parents even during the first six months of infancy provide differential experiences for the infant. These games may have developmental significance in selectively facilitating the acquisition of social and cognitive skills.     

Attentiveness of mothers and fathers to their baby's cries

Thirty-two mother-father-infant triads participated in a study to examine whether parents' responsiveness to their own infant's distress was affected by the infant's birth order and gender. After separating from their 10- to 11-month-old baby, one parent from each family (16 mothers and 16 fathers) was selected to hear cries that were attributed to the child. Consistent with previous findings regarding physiological reactions to crying and observations of caretaking behavior, first-time parents gave quicker and more frequent attention to their infants than did multiporous parents. Speedy intervention was related to the amount of caretaking responsibilities that parents reported they assumed and to the age at which parents believed that their infant first recognized them. The results demonstrate the importance of caretaking for promoting parental sensitivity to infant signals.     

Inferences about others from their reports about themselves

Subjects in this study were asked to infer an attribute of a target person on the basis of his report about himself: Two informational determinants of such inferences were varied: (a) reliability of the report, i.e. the belief that the target person would correctly report events that had actually occurred and (b) diagnosticity of the actual events, i.e. the belief that the actual events are indicative of the attribute. Normative considerations require that the effect of diagnosticity be dependent on reliability so that as reliability increases, judgment should become less regressive, i.e. vary more as a function of events' diagnosticity. The results indicate that subjects employed a simple but inappropriate averaging rule in combining reliability and diagnosticity information. This rule, like many other simplifying judgmental heuristics, resulted in inferences that were more extreme than warranted by normative models. The inappropriate combination of reliability and diagnosticity information may thus contribute to observers' tendency to over-attribute personal characteristics to others.     

The nature of connections: young fathers and their children

The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement of young fathers with their children at entry to a fatherhood program and at subsequent follow-up. Thirty-eight young fathers participated in this analysis. Using open-ended questions at intake and subsequent follow-up, they were asked to describe in their own words their relationships with their children. A thematic analysis was used to explore their self-reported statements. Three themes emerged from the analysis: Positive Emotionality, Accessibility, and Engagement. A comparison between thematic categories at intake and follow-up revealed that the most dramatic shift occurred in regard to Engagement. A third of the young fathers shifted from describing Positive Emotionality at intake to the more active process of Engagement at follow-up. The area that showed little change between intake to follow-up was related to Accessibility. These findings may suggest that for young fathers, becoming more involved with their children is a process which can be facilitated by participating in a fatherhood program.     

The interactions of hyperactive and normal boys with their fathers and mothers

This study examined the interactions of fathers and mothers with their hyperactive and normal children during both free-play and task periods. Eighteen hyperactive and 18 normal boys were observed interacting separately with their mothers and fathers in a playroom setting. Behavioral observations indicated, with minor exceptions, that fathers and mothers did not differ in their interactions with their sons. Substantial differences were found between hyperactive and normal boys in their parent-child interactions, particularly during the task setting. Hyperactive boys were generally less compliant and their parents more directive than normal parent-child dyads. Methodological problems are discussed that may have precluded the emergence of differences between mothers and fathers in their interactions with their sons.     

Reaching high risk infants via their high risk fathers

This article addresses itself to helping psychiatrically disturbed fathers from repeating their pathological pasts on their infant children (0-3). The mother-infant dyad is uniquely reached via the father so that the bonds of human attachment can be protected and/or preserved. This is paralled by focusing on the social and emotional problems and adjustments of both parents. The 0-3 year old is made a live interview participant. This seems to insure a positive opportunity for their unfolding cognitive and object-related development to develop more healthfully. Their infantile behavior gives license to their parents to realize therapeutically their painful personal memories and makes material which was previously considered irretrievable, available for intervention and possible change.     

Temporal changes in the affective experience of new fathers and their spouses

Our aim was to study temporal changes in fathers' affective experience during the first year of parenthood. For comparison, data also were collected from their spouses. Fifty‐five Israeli couples comprised the initial sample, and both partners were interviewed during the prepartum period and at 3, 6, and 12 months' postpartum. Measures of emotionality, positive affect, negative affect, and mood regarding self, infant, and spouse/marriage were derived by finely coding parents' answers to interview questions. Analyses show that, for fathers and mothers, time effects were most substantial between the prepartum period and 3 months postpartum, and most of the changes were in a positive direction. Fathers and mothers showed continuity in positive affect and in negative affect, respectively. Overall, the sample experienced heightened positive affect and more positive moods after the birth of their infant than prior to it.     

Behavioral reactions of newborns to speech-like sounds and their implications for developmental studies

Newborns exposed to a randomized sound battery containing speech-like sounds demonstrated a variety of behavioral reactions reflecting individual differences in personality and organization. Subjects who actively searched the environment for stimuli and showed prolonged vigilance episodes scored in the 90th percentile on the Denver Developmental Test when evaluated at later ages. Subjects who were remarked as inhibiting crying during their exposure to the experimental schedule later were described by their parents as “good” babies, while subjects who vocalized their displeasure during exposure were described far less favorably. These findings may have implications for developmental studies of mother-infant interactions.     

Holistic attitudes of high school students toward themselves and their school experiences.

This study was based on an analysis of essays written by 47 teacher education students in response to the question, "If you could live your high school days over again, what, if anything, would you change?" The responses were organized into 20 different categories and tabulated according to students' age and sex. In retrospect, 38% of these students would have improved their attitude toward high school. Thirty-six percent indicated that high school was a positive experience, though this attitude was often unrelated to academic achievement. The responses strongly suggest that for many high school students, general attitude toward school affects achievement more than do attitudes toward specific school characteristics.     

Sleep disturbances in depressed pregnant women and their newborns

Pregnant women (N=253) were recruited during their second trimester of pregnancy (M=22.3 weeks gestation) and assigned to depressed (N=83) and non-depressed groups based on a SCID diagnosis of depression. They were then given self-report measures on sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety and anger, and their urine was assayed for norepinephrine and cortisol. These measures were repeated during their third trimester (M=32.4 weeks). Their newborns were then observed during sleep. During both the second and third trimesters, the depressed women had more sleep disturbances and higher depression, anxiety and anger scores. They also had higher norepinephrine and cortisol levels. The newborns of the depressed mothers also had more sleep disturbances including less time in deep sleep and more time in indeterminate (disorganized) sleep, and they were more active and cried/fussed more.     

Girls,their fathers,and their mothers: Patterned links to ambition and prohibition in women

Abstract

This paper explores the dilemmas women face when they strive to achieve. It is about why women have trouble with their own deeply held ambitions, how patterns of interaction with important others are internalized in their childhood years that render their own strivings for power unacceptable to them, and how this early sense of prohibition against achievement is reinforced by the larger social and cultural surround. I contend that these interdictions against success are held by the female both in and out of her awareness, and are evoked in situations that trigger pathogenic memories in ever more complex ways. I explore current concepts about gender and gender formation, in particular the ideas of Adrienne Harris articulated in her book, Gender as Soft Assembly. Two clinical cases are described in order to explore and illustrate these issues, one a child and the other an adult.

Estelle Shane. Mädchen, ihre Väter und Mütter: Verbindende Muster zu Erfolgsstreben und Verboten im Leben von Frauen.

Dieser Aufsatz untersucht das Dilemma von Frauen, die nach Erfolg streben. Es geht Frauen, bei denen die Wünsche nach Erfolg in der Tiefe verborgenen sind. Die Muster von internalisierten Beziehungen mit wichtigen Bezugspersonen aus der Kindheit verhindern, dass sie das eigene Streben nach Macht akzeptieren können. Dieses Verbot von Erfolgsstreben ist verstärkt durch die sozialen und kulturellen Verhältnisse in denen sie leben. Im Hin und Her zwischen Bewusstwerdung und Verdrängung der Konflikthaftigkeit von Erfolgsstreben, können Erinnerungen an frühere pathogenene Konflikte ausgelöst werden. Gängige Konzepte der Entstehung von Geschlechtsidentität werden untersucht, speziell die Ideen von Adrienne Harris aus ihrem Buch: “Gender as soft Assembly”. Zwei klinische Fälle werden zur Illustration untersucht, der eines Kindes und der eines Erwachsenen.

Estelle Shane. Las niñas, sus padres, y sus madres: Patrones ligados a la ambición y la prohibición en las mujeres.

Este trabajo explora los dilemas que las mujeres enfrentan cuando luchan por lograr. Trata del porque las mujeres tienen problemas con sus ambiciones más profundamente sostenidas, cómo los patrones de interacción con otros son internalizadas en sus años de infancia, y dan cuenta de sus propias luchas por el poder, inaceptables para ellas, y cómo esta sensación temprana de prohibición en contra del logro es reforzado por el ambiente social y cultural que les rodea. Estas prohibiciones en contra del éxito son sostenidas por las mujeres tanto con o sin conciencia y son evocadas en situaciones que apuntalan recuerdos patogénicos en formas más complejas. Exploro conceptos actuales sobre la formación del género, en particular las ideas de Adrienne Harris articuladas en su libro, Gender and soft Assembly. Dos casos clínicos son descritos para explorar e ilustrar estos aspectos, uno se trata de una niña y otro de una mujer adulta.     

Prenatal intervention and support for low-income fathers

The focus of this study was to determine the effectiveness of prenatal intervention with low socioeconomic, first-time fathers whose partners were experiencing a high- or low-risk pregnancy. Of the 67 men, who were recruited by their partners, half were randomly assigned to participate in an intervention program designed to acquaint fathers-to-be with information, insights, and clinically appropriate techniques in responsive care for infants. Intervention group fathers received two intensive 1¹/₂-hour sessions emphasizing the nature and capabilities of the prebornhewborn and sensitive responsiveness to preborn/newborn cues and to partner cues. Postnatally, fathers were videotaped with their infants during two feeding interactions. At Time 1, intervention fathers were rated from videotapes as significantly more sensitive during feeding interactions with their newborn infants. At Time 2, 1 month later, differences between father groups approached significance.     

Mothers' attitudes toward fat, weight, and dieting in themselves and their children

We examined how a mother's view of her body, and fatness in general, affects her attitude toward her child's weight and eating. Mothers (N = 118) of 3–5-year-old children filled out a questionnaire designed to assess weight satisfaction, anti-fat attitudes, and how concerned and restrictive they are with regards to their child's weight and eating. We found mothers who were more fearful of being or becoming overweight themselves worried more for their children, although fearful attitudes did not predict restricting a child's eating. These results suggest that maternal attitudes toward their own weight affect their beliefs about their children's weight.     

Reproductive justice and support for young fathers

The current article addresses the interests and contributions of fathers to child development and well-being within a reproductive and social justice framework. We present an overview of research on the role of fathers in the lives of children from the prenatal period through early childhood, with an emphasis on fathers as partners and caregivers in promoting the reproductive health and safety of women and the healthy development of young children. We explore especially the challenges of young, at-risk fathers as well as system and practice opportunities that support their contributions as partners and parents. Our goal of the article is to extend the discourse on reproductive and social justice to include the shared responsibility of all parents and facilitate circumstances whereby children experience the support needed to become nurturing caregivers for the next generation.     

Decision-makers use social information to update their preferences but choose for others as they do for themselves

People's risky decisions are susceptible to the social context in which they take place. Across three experiments using different paradigms, we investigated the influence of three social factors upon participants' decisions: the recipient of the decision-making outcome (self, other, or joint), the nature of the relationship with the other agent (friend, stranger, or teammate), and the type of information that participants received about others' preferences: none at all, general information about how previous participants had decided, or information about a specific partner's preference. We found that participants' decisions about risk did not differ according to whether the outcome at stake was their own, another agent's, or a joint outcome, nor according to the type of information available. Participants did, however, adjust their preferences for risky options in light of social information.