Thirty-four Japanese infants and mothers were observed in the Strange Situation procedure when the infants were 12 months old. The mothers completed the Taylor Inventory of mother's perception of emotional support from the father. Mothers of securely attached infants perceived greater support from the father than mothers of anxiously attached/avoidant infants and anxiously attached/resistant infants. The findings were interpreted in terms of the cultural context.

Maternal and infant behaviors were compared for 30 American and 52 Japanese mother-infant dyads from middle-class homes in Japan and America. The major differences in caretaker behavior were (1) the Japanese mother spent more time being with or in the presence of her baby than the American mother, and (2) the American mother was more active in positioning the body of the infant. Infant behaviors between the two cultures were strikingly similar. Significant differences were found in sucking behavior, with the American babies displaying more than the Japanese babies. Across cultures male babies were awake more and received more rocking. Several culture-by-sex interactions were found. Japanese males displayed significantly higher unhappy vocal and total vocal behavior than Japanese females, but the American males displayed significantly lower total vocal behavior than the American females. Comparisons were made with findings from a study conducted in 1969. The findings highlight the importance of cultural context in investigating early behaviors.

A national sample of over 11,OOO children, from the National Child Development Study, was the basis for a study of laterality prevalences, consistencies and changes from 7 to 11 years of age. Consistency and changes in handedness were related to levels of ability and attainment at age 11. Approximately 86 per cent of children were consistent in their hand preference from 7 to 11; and most children who changed were mixed-handed at 7. There were clear differences between boys and girls in the incidence of non-righthandedness. At age 11 the group of consistent left-handers had lower ability and attainment scores than average, although the very small group of left-handers who changed from being right-handed at 7 were well above average. WHITTINCTON, J. E. (1985). Identification and investigation of dyscalculia. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis.University of Bath.(Manuscript received 13th June, 1984) 303-321.Associates.Psychol., 44, 37-46.of 11-year-olds. Ann. hum. Biol., 3, 329-343.Some background and associated factors.

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