TY - JOUR
T1 - Maternal responsiveness and infant mental abilities
T2 - Specific predictive relations
AU - Bornstein, Marc H.
AU - Tamis-Lemonda, Catherine S.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by grants (HD20559) and (HD20807) and by a Research Career Development Award (HD00521) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to M.H.B. We thank K. Dine, J. Genevro, 0. M. Haynes, A. Herron, B. Wright, and M. Zamor for commentsa nd assistance.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - 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 study. Maternal responsiveness to infant nondistress activities at 5 months, but not responsiveness to infant distress, uniquely predicted infant attention span and symbolic play, but not infant language comprehension. Mothers' responsiveness at 13 months was positively and consistently, but not significantly, associated with all three infant abilities. The results support a view that the effects of maternal responsiveness on infant mental development are specific and indirect rather than generic and direct and recommend further differentiation of infant activity, maternal responsiveness, and child outcome in studies of children's early mental development.
AB - 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 study. Maternal responsiveness to infant nondistress activities at 5 months, but not responsiveness to infant distress, uniquely predicted infant attention span and symbolic play, but not infant language comprehension. Mothers' responsiveness at 13 months was positively and consistently, but not significantly, associated with all three infant abilities. The results support a view that the effects of maternal responsiveness on infant mental development are specific and indirect rather than generic and direct and recommend further differentiation of infant activity, maternal responsiveness, and child outcome in studies of children's early mental development.
KW - Attention
KW - Infant activity
KW - Language comprehension
KW - Maternal responsiveness
KW - Prediction
KW - Symbolic play
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031185322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031185322&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0163-6383(97)90001-1
DO - 10.1016/S0163-6383(97)90001-1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031185322
VL - 20
SP - 283
EP - 296
JO - Infant Behavior and Development
JF - Infant Behavior and Development
SN - 0163-6383
IS - 3
ER -