Early mother-infant interaction during breast- and bottle-feeding

Thirty-two primiparous mothers with their neonates, 20 breast-fed and 12 bottle-fed, were videotaped during feeding longitudinally (at 3, 10 days, 1 and 3 months) in order to investigate whether patterns of mother-infant interaction observed during breast- and bottle-feeding differ also for behavior not directly related to sucking. Infant state, sucking behavior, mother behavior and mother-infant interaction were analyzed by both sequential and non sequential analysis. Results suggest that the method of feedings affects mother-infant interaction observed during and just after feeding also for some behavior not directly related to sucking. The percentage of mutual touch, tactile stimulation and mother's gaze to infant was significantly more elevated during breast-feeding. Independently of the feeding mode, significant sequential dependencies between infant state of alertness and auditory stimulation, and auditory stimulation and mutual gaze were found.     

Family-Based Intervention with High-Risk Infants and Their Families

A model of family-based intervention for high-risk infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit and their families is presented. The theoretical underpinnings, principles, and nature of the intervention are described. The adaptation of the model from a clinical–research demonstration project to a clinical consultation service is highlighted, with particular emphasis on the practical application of the model. Domains of the intervention include infant behavior, family organization and functioning, caregiving environment, and home discharge/community resources. Three case illustrations are provided to demonstrate the breadth of the intervention and how it can be individualized based upon the presentation of the infant and family.     

表情判别能力的发展特点与影响因素

本实验通过不同年龄学生对各类表情的判别之研究,探讨了表情判别能力的发展特点及其与个体情绪发展间的关系。结果表明：①身段表情判别能力是导致表情判别年龄差异的核心因素;②面部表情判别能力发展较早,在小学阶段已相当完善,身段表情判别能力发展较晚,到大学阶段才达到与前者相同的水平;③身段表情判别能力的发展与个体情绪发展的阶段性特点及其主要社会适应问题相关联。     

婴儿识别面部表情的能力及其发展模式

采用婴儿控制的习惯化－去习惯化实验设计,测查了４２名８－１２个月的婴儿对愉快（Ｈ）、愤怒（Ａ）和惧怕（Ｆ）三种表情（照片）的习惯化速率及在六种表情配对顺序下（Ｈ－Ａ,Ａ－Ｈ,Ｈ－Ｆ,Ｆ－Ｈ,Ａ－Ｆ,Ｆ－Ａ）的识别能力。实验结果表明：（１）多数婴儿的注视高峰出现在习惯化过程早期;（２）不同年龄的婴儿对三种表情的习惯化速率相同;（３）在三种表情的六种配对情况下,不同年龄的婴儿对任一对表情中的第一个习惯化后,均可对第二个表情去习惯化,即在识别过程中不存在顺序效应。     

Infant food refusal and parental social support

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between various aspects of social support and maternal and infant outcome variables in a group of families having infants showing food refusal compared to a control group. In the case of early food refusal, the results indicated that access to emotional support and satisfaction with support were related to maternal psychosomatic health. The relationships were interpreted as showing that social support has moderating effects on negative outcomes of food refusal.     

A BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF INFANT SLEEP DISTURBANCE

Chronic sleep disturbance, such as bed refusal, sleep-onset delay, and night waking with crying, affects 15% to 35% of preschool children. Biological factors, particularly arousals associated with recurrent episodes of rapid-eye-movement sleep, render infants vulnerable to repeated awakenings. Parental failure to establish appropriate stimulus control of sleep-related behaviors and parent-mediated contingencies of reinforcement for sleep-incompatible behaviors may shape and maintain infant sleep disturbance. Treatment and prevention strategies are discussed, and research needs are identified.     

Newborn behavioral observations system in rural Pakistan: A feasibility and acceptability study

The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system is a relationship-based tool that helps parents recognize their infant's competencies and learn their behavioral cues, with the goals of enhancing parental responsiveness and satisfaction in the infant-parent relationship. In our study, a pediatrician integrated the NBO into 44 pediatric health care visits of infants in rural Pakistan villages, under the remote guidance of two U.S.-based child psychiatrists. A clinician then gave the mothers a survey about their experience of the NBO and found that the mothers were highly satisfied, reporting greater appreciation of their infant's strengths, greater understanding of their infant's behavioral cues, stronger attachment to their infant, and greater self-confidence as a mother. In their consideration of these results, the authors explore cultural reasons for the mothers’ responses and generate hypotheses to inform an outcome study of a similar intervention. This was a feasibility and acceptability study and was not randomized, had no control group, and did not use objective measures of outcome.     

Longitudinal changes in term and preterm infant night wakings: The role of caregiver anxious-depression

Changes in infant night waking during the first year of life are associated with individual (e.g., prematurity) and family (e.g., caregiver psychopathology) factors. This study examined the association between infant night waking and caregiver anxious-depressive symptoms during the first year of life in preterm and term infants. We considered between-person differences and within-person changes in caregiver anxious-depressive symptoms in relation to changes in infant night waking from 2- to 9-months. Racially (30.0% Black, 60.4% White, 9.5% multiracial/other) and socioeconomically (40.0% below median household income) diverse caregivers (N = 445) of full term (n = 258) and preterm (n = 187) infants were recruited from hospitals and clinics in two midwestern states. Caregivers completed measures of anxious-depression and their infant's night waking at four sampling periods (2-, 4-, 6-, and 9-months). Infant night wakings declined from 2- to 9-months. Between-person differences were observed, such that caregivers with higher average anxious-depressive symptoms or infants born full term reported more night wakings. Within-person effects of caregiver anxious-depressive symptoms were not significant. Caregiver anxious-depression is closely associated with infant night wakings. By considering a caregiver's average severity of anxious-depression, healthcare providers can more effectively plan infant sleep interventions. If caregiver anxious-depressive symptoms are ameliorated, night wakings may also decrease.     

Coping with dialects from birth: Role of variability on infants’ early language development. Insights from Norwegian dialects

Previous research suggests that exposure to accent variability can affect toddlers’ familiar word recognition and word comprehension. The current preregistered study addressed the gap in knowledge on early language development in infants exposed to two dialects from birth and assessed the role of dialect similarity in infants’ word recognition and comprehension. A 12-month-old Norwegian-learning infants, exposed to native Norwegian parents speaking the same or two Norwegian dialects, took part in two eye-tracking tasks, assessing familiar word form recognition and word comprehension. Their parents’ speech was assessed for similarity by native Norwegian speakers. First, in contrast to previous research, our results revealed no listening preference for words over nonwords in both monodialectal and bidialectal infants, suggesting potential language-specific differences in the onset of word recognition. Second, the results showed evidence for word comprehension in monodialectal infants, but not in bidialectal infants, suggesting that exposure to dialectal variability impacts early word acquisition. Third, perceptual similarity between parental dialects tendentially facilitated bidialectal infants’ word recognition and comprehension. Forth, the results revealed a strong correlation between the raters and parents’ assessment of similarity between dialects, indicating that parental estimations can be reliably used to assess infants’ speech variability at home. Finally, our results revealed a strong relationship between word recognition and comprehension in monodialectal infants and the absence of such a relationship in bidialectal infants, suggesting that either these two skills do not necessarily align in infants exposed to more variable input, or that the alignment might occur at a later stage.     

Unweighting infants reveals hidden motor skills

We investigated the role of rate limiting factors in development using walking as a model system. The achievement of bipedal posture and locomotion are among the most significant achievements in an infant's first year, with poor balance and weak muscles long proposed as the rate limiting factors. Compensating for either may reveal upright motor skill that has not yet emerged in the infant's natural repertoire. To probe this question, we unweighted prewalking infants and measured their performance in various standing and walking behaviors while unweighted compared to baseline. Our secondary objective was to determine if the influence of unweighting was related to infants’ locomotor experience. Infants stood unsupported for longer durations with 20% or 40% unweighting. Infants took more independent steps and more steps with one hand held with 40% unweighting. No differences in transition to/from standing were observed. Locomotor experience was related to the influence of unweighting during cruising and walking with a push toy. This is the first report of more advanced motor skills—longer periods of unsupported standing and the emergence of independent walking—revealed by unweighting infants. We interpret our observations to suggest that the refinement of motor control needed to support bipedal posture and locomotion precedes the functional emergence of these skills in infants. In other words, the musculoskeletal components required for walking are slower to develop than the neurological factors – and consequently may be the rate limiters. We further suggest that training regimens including unweighting should be explored in infants with motor delays.