Discovering self through other: infants' preference for social contingency.
Infants' early self-knowledge is acquired most readily in social interactions, because others respond to infants in contingent ways. Recent findings are described, which indicate that infants are sensitive not only to social contingency early in life but also to particular levels of social contingency found in their parental interactions. Implications of these sensitivities for developmental risks and advancements are discussed.
Bigelow
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AE
Department of Psychology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. abigelow@stfx.ca
D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004532:Ego; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010553:Personality Development; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012307:Risk Factors; D012938:Social Perception