INTERACTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN INFANTS AND THEIR MOTHERS - RELATIONS WITH DEVELOPMENT AT 1 YEAR OF AGE

The relationships between aspects of mother-infant interaction and bot h communication and cognitive skills at 1 year of age were examined in 92 African American dyads, of whom 64 (70%) fell below the poverty li ne. Ratings of warmth, sensitivity, responsiveness, encouragement of i nitiative, stimulation, and elaborativeness during a semistructured pl ay interaction were correlated with measures of global cognition, expr essive and receptive communication, and communication use. The overall quality of the home environment and maternal ratings of stimulation a nd elaborativeness were the most consistent correlates of infant commu nication measures. Relationships were stronger in middle-income than l ower-income dyads. These results support the linkage of didactic and F unctional aspects of maternal behavior to cognitive and communication skills at 1 year of age for African American infants.