Early stages of initiative and environmental response

Research results on the association between maternal response to infant's i nitiative and the development of such initiatives is being presented. This study is based on 239 feeding situations belonging to 41 mother-infant pair s videotaped at home at 30-day intervals, from the beginning of spoon-feedi ng until 1 year of age. The results showed that the basic hypotheses of thi s study were confirmed. There was a clear association between maternal resp onses to initiatives of the infant and four variables: Initiatives, Attempt ed Initiatives, Aversive Behavior, and Conflictivity. A favorable maternal response went along with more initiatives, fewer Attempts, less Aversivity, and less Conflictivity. Conflictivity was understood as reciprocal exchang e of antipathetic reactions such as opposition, disgust, and hostility. The refore, conflicts show struggle and confrontation between both members of t he interaction. Aversivity is the infant's sole reaction to disgust, distas te, or opposition. As the infant risks confrontations with the caregiver to sustain her initiatives, we can say that, although highly influentiable by maternal response, Initiative is a contribution of the infant to her own d evelopment. Thus, in our view, a developing self shows an emerging capacity to initiate actions of his/her own. This becomes a relational issue as soo n as the infant's initiative hits the interactional held, causing an enviro nmental response that ultimately will allow or impede initiative. In case o f impediments, the strong reaction of the infant will produce an impact upo n the progressive stages of construction of the relationship, and certainly will be influential upon the further development of the infant's self.