MATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS AND INFANT MENTAL ABILITIES - SPECIFIC PREDICTIVE RELATIONS

Citation
Mh. Bornstein et Cs. Tamislemonda, MATERNAL RESPONSIVENESS AND INFANT MENTAL ABILITIES - SPECIFIC PREDICTIVE RELATIONS, Infant behavior & development, 20(3), 1997, pp. 283-296
Citations number
89
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Developmental
ISSN journal
01636383
Volume
20
Issue
3
Year of publication
1997
Pages
283 - 296
Database
ISI
SICI code
0163-6383(1997)20:3<283:MRAIMA>2.0.ZU;2-H
Abstract
Specific predictive relations between mothers' responsiveness to their 5-month-olds' nondistress activities and vocal distress and infants' attention span, symbolic play, and language comprehension at 13 months were examined in 36 dyads in a short-term prospective longitudinal st udy. Maternal responsiveness to infant nondistress activities at 5 mon ths, but not responsiveness to infant distress, uniquely predicted inf ant attention span and symbolic play, but not infant language comprehe nsion. Mothers' responsiveness at 13 months was positively and consist ently, but not significantly, associated with all three infant abiliti es. The results support a view that the effects of maternal responsive ness on infant mental development are specific and indirect rather tha n generic and direct and recommend further differentiation of infant a ctivity, maternal responsiveness, and child outcome in studies of chil dren's early mental development.