Mother-infant interaction as a function of maternal ratings of temperament.
Mother-infant pairs (N = 38) were observed at home when infants were three months old; mothers also completed a questionnaire measure of infant temperament. Infants who were rated as irregular in biological functioning received somewhat less responsive mothering. A subgroup of infants rated as difficult, that is, extremely irregular, nonadaptable, and negative in mood, were then compared with matched controls; mothers interacted less and were less responsive to the social bids of infants they rated as difficult. This pattern of lowered maternal responsiveness was still in evidence at an eight-month follow-up observation, suggesting that negative perceptions of infant behavior can be persistent effects on the quality of caretaking.
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development; D003448:Crying; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010553:Personality Development