| Abstract: | The Functional Maternal Concern of mothers for their infants was assessed (with an Index derived from Caldwell's Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment.) when 36 children, heterogeneous with respect to social status, were 6- and 18-months-old. Scores on this Index were related to the mother's IQ and education, as well as to certain temperamental characteristics of the children: cooperativeness and happiness. The Index proved stable over the time period of 6 to 18 months and yielded better predictability of Stanford Binet scores at 48 months than the Bayley Infant test scores. Moreover, there appears to be a minimal level of maternal concern needed to facilitate the child's development which seems to be especially important for the second year of life. |
