ABSTRACT
In this study the roles of the mother and the co-twin in inhibiting emotional arousal and reducing manifest distress of a twin who had been isolated in a modified strange situation were compared. The subjects were 15 children, each a member of a twin pair. The subjects were placed in a playroom under three conditions in the following order: (a) mother and twins present; (b) twins together, mother absent; (c) subject isolated from both co-twin and mother. The episodes in which all partners were together were alternated with brief separations. The subjects' distress was minimal when they were separated from the mother with the co-twin present. Upon reunion, stable social behavior was quickly restored. However, separation from the mother and co-twin produced a high level of distress for the subjects. When reunited, the isolated twin initiated physical contact with the mother, soliciting and receiving comfort from her. Furthermore, the distress of the isolated twin was transmitted to the co-twin who had remained with the mother during the isolation period. The nonisolated twin also solicited comfort from the mother. The presence of the co-twin during the reunion following isolation had little effect in reducing the subject twin's distress.
Subject(s)
Anxiety, Separation/psychology , Mother-Child Relations , Object Attachment , Sibling Relations , Twins/psychology , Affect , Child, Preschool , Crying , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Stress, PsychologicalABSTRACT
This study examined the effects of neonatal sex and birth order on maternal caretaking patterns for pre-attachment behaviors shown by mothers and instrumental behaviors seen in both mothers and temporary caretakers. Observational category scores were obtained for mothers of 20 newborn infants and for temporary caretakers observed in a 15 min bottle-feeding situation. A repeated measures analysis of variance design was used to partition categories into caretaking classifications and to evaluate the effects of infant sex and birth order. Significant main effects for caretaker (p less than .05) were obtained: six mother-high, pre-attachment categories, and seven mother-low, instrumental behavior categories. Maternal scores sensitive to infant sex and birth order were identified from Caretaker x Sex x Birth Order interactions (p less than .05). Birth order differences affected maternal behaviors directed toward sons more substantially than those directed toward daughters. Mothers held first-born sons upright in tactual contact with the trunk, whereas daughters were held supine on the lap and exposed to frequent maternal smiling.
Subject(s)
Birth Order , Infant Care , Infant, Newborn/psychology , Maternal Behavior , Mother-Child Relations , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Object Attachment , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
Three selected groups of studies of primate social behavior and development are discussed. In the first group of studies the social development of rhesus monkeys reared in different environments is considered. Rhesus show remarkable similarity in behavior in diverse environments, demonstrating a phylogenetic set to develop species-typical behavioral repertoires. The second set of studies reports on three species (Macaca mulatta, Macaca fasicularis, and Erythrocebus patas) reared in similar settings. Species differences observed in these settings were a result of phylogenetic set. Finally, mother-infant seperation studies conducted with several monkey species are reviewed. The results of these studies were interpreted to be the product of each species, the specific setting or apparatus used, and the independent variable manipulation employed. Caution is recommended in cross-species generalization within primates.
