Attitudes of self-confidence in caring for their infants were measured using a paired comparison questionnaire for two groups of mothers: a separation group of 21 mothers denied physical interaction with their premature infants in the first weeks following birth and a contact group of 22 mothers allowed to care for their premature infants in the hospital nursery during this period. Separation resulted in lower self-confidence for primiparous mothers (p < .01) but not for multiparous mothers. Comparing mothers initially low in selfconfidence (disregarding parity), those in the separation group were more likely to remain low until the infant was discharged (p < .02). Self-confidence predicted observed skill at one week postdischarge (^><.05). Psychological, social, and physiological explanations of these differences were considered.Studies of maternal behavior in nonhuman mammals suggest that restriction of interaction between mother and infant in the early postpartum period influences subsequent maternal performance and may, in fact, produce clearly incompetent mothering (Harlow, Harlow,

The authors propose that television, while entertaining children, also socializes them. To support this conclusion they review the literature regarding effects of television content on aggressive and prosocial behavior and social attitudes. The structure of the television industry is examined and economic factors are found to outweigh concern for the public in the choice of programming. To increase the beneficial role of television, the authors argue there must be greater diversity of broadcast content and more parental direction of children's exposure to it.

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Three telephone surveys conducted during different phases of the Vietnam War (N=401, 199, and 299, respectively) were conducted to determine how changes in events and in sources' actions relevant to those events affect the perceived credibility of various information sources. Data linking four sources (students, the Stanford University News Service, CBS News, and the White House) to three issues (air pollution, unemployment, the war) indicate that ascribed credibility: (a) increased with the purported objectivity of the source, (b) decreased as the issue became more controversial, and (c) varied over time as a function of the actions of the various sources and changes in events related to the issues. Results are discussed in terms of how changes in the environment located by major news events are related to changes in the ascribed credibility of various information sources.