Maternal responsiveness and search for hidden objects and contingency learning by infants

Abstract

The relationship between maternal responsiveness and infant cognition was examined during two activities: the search for hidden objects and the learning of a contingency rule. Thirty-four mother-infant dyads were observed in a laboratory setting when the infants were 11 months old. The experimental session included three phases: a search for hidden objects (Piagetian tasks), the learning of a contingency rule on a touch screen, and a mother-infant play session using a standardised toy. The results indicated a link between performances in the search and contingency tasks. Moreover, infants who succeeded in both tasks had mothers who displayed higher responsiveness score. The findings are discussed in terms of the infant's detection of relevant stimulus information.

Longitudinal relations of maternal supportiveness and child task-approach behavior to early cognitive development of children with developmental risks

“…The Stanfbrd-Binet Intelligence Scale (Bacharach & Baumeister, 1998;Cohen & Parmelee, 1983;Krishnakumar & Black, 2002) and the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (Croft, et al, 2001) have been used to measure the cognitive skills of children older than three years. Ayoun (1998) and Tzuriel and Weiss (1998) have measured specific cognitive skills such as search for hidden objects, learning of a contingency rule, or cognitive modifiability.…”

“…Parent-child interactions (Ayoun, 1998;Cohen & Parmelee, 1983;Croft, et al, 2001;Halpem, et al, 2001;Hopper, et al, 1998;Poehlmann & Fiese, 2001;Tzurie & Weiss, 1988;Wijnroks, 1998), quality of the home environment (Bacharach & Baumeister, 1998;Hopper, et al, 1998;Krishnakumar and Black, 2002;Murray, et al, 1996), child characteristics (Bacharach & Baumeister, 1998;Black & Berenson-Howard, 2000;Cohen & Parmelee, 1983;Halpem, et al, 2001;Murray, et al, 1996;Poehlmann & Fiese, 2001;Tzurie & Weiss, 1988;Wijnroks, 1998), and familial risk factors (Bacharach & Baumeister, 1998;Cohen & Parmelee, 1983;Hopper, et al, 1998;Krishnakumar & Black, 2002;Murray, et al, 1996;Poehlmann & Fiese, 2001) have all been used to predict child cognitive development. In later sections of this literature review, parent-child interactions, child characteristics, and familial factors will each be discussed in more detail.…”

“…In studies of concurrent cognition, Hooper et al (1998) investigated the relations between cognition and a familial risk factor index, and other researchers have examined the relations between specific indicators of child cognition and parent-child interaction (Ayoun, 1998;Tzurie & Weiss, 1998 Hooper and her colleagues (Hooper, et al, 1998) examined a cumulative risk model to predict infants' cognition. In this study, distal factors (e.g., SES, maternal education, stressful life events, etc.)…”

“…Ayoun (1998), andTzurie andWeiss (1998) have examined the relations between specific indicators of cognition and distal and/or proximal factors.…”

“…Whereas Ayoun (1998) investigated the effects of maternal responsiveness on infant's cognition, Tzurie and Weiss (1998) included child personality and the mother's attitudes toward her child in their investigation of the effects of mother-child interactions on children's concurrent cognition. These researchers used cognitive modifiability to measure children's cognition in the second grade and mother-child interaction with mediated learning experience (MLE) in play situations.…”