Infant Development: Ecological Perspectives (Msu Series on Children, Youth Andfamilies, 10)

This study is written by British and North American infancy researchers. The chapters are organised along conventional lines in sections which cover perceptual, cognitive and social development, relating new findings on infant perception to both old and new accounts of cognitive development. The book also draws links between these topics and the development of social interaction and language. Attention is given to both traditional approaches such as Piagetian theory and more recent approaches such as direct perception and dynamic systems theory. There is also a chapter devoted to interpreting infant development from a psychoanalytic perspective. Reference Book Cover 1 Half-title 2 Title 3 Copyright 4 Contents 5 Preface 7 PATHWAYS TO DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES IN PRETERM INFANTS 9 PERINATAL FACTORS 10 Birthweight 10 Medical Complications 11 Infants’ Self-Regulatory Abilities 12 Information Processing 13 Social-Communication 14 States and Emotions 15 Attention Deployment 15 Summary 16 PARENT-INFANT INTERACTIONS 16 PARENTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AND VIEWS 18 BROADER CONTEXTUAL FACTORS 19 Support Networks 20 Socio-Economic Status 21 Poverty and the Prevalence of Premature Births 22 Consequences of Poverty for Preterm Infants 23 Race 24 SUMMARY 24 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS 26 REFERENCES 28 AUTHORS’ NOTE 34 INFANT ATTENTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COGNITION 35 WHAT MEASURES PREDICT INTELLIGENCE FROM INFANCY? 37 Visual Attention 37 Recognition/Discrimination Performance 37 Ocular Reaction Time and Anticipatory Looking 38 Other Measures 38 How Well Do These Measures Predict? 38 Summary 39 MODELS OF THE PREDICTION PHENOMENON 39 The “Single Process” or Domain-General Model 39 The “Multiple Process” or Domain-Specific Model 40 An Additive Model: Infant and Environment 41 A Transactional Model: Infant Environment 43 Summary 45 IS THE TRANSACTIONAL MODEL FEASIBLE? 45 Evidence on Infant Environment Interactions in Early Cognitive Development 45 Summary 48 SOME SPECIFIC INFANT ENVIRONMENT HYPOTHESES 49 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 53 REFERENCES 54 AUTHORS’ NOTES 58 NOTE 58 NUTRITION 59 PRENATAL ISSUES 59 Preconceptual Issues 59 Prenatal Nutrition 60 Prenatal Exposures 61 Summary of Prenatal Issues 62 SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF PREMATURE INFANTS 62 Parenteral Nutrition 62 Composition of Milk 63 Oral Motor Development 63 Summary of Issues for Premature Babies 64 POSTNATAL NUTRITION 64 Normal Growth 64 Mechanisms and Specific Effects of Malnutrition on the Brain 65 Alteration in Motivation and Reactivity 65 Decreased Cognitive Flexibility 66 Effects of Severe Malnutrition on Development 67 Breastfeeding 68 Micronutrients 69 Interactions 70 Summary of Postnatal Issues 70 ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION BY RESEARCHERS AND POLICY MAKERS 70 REFERENCES 73 ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON MOTHER-INFANT RELATIONSHIPS 76 ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON DEVELOPMENT 77 ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON PARENTING AND THE MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP 80 FAMILY 81 Family of Origin 82 Marital Relationships 83 PERSONAL SOCIAL NETWORKS 84 NEIGHBORHOODS AND MOTHER-INFANT RELATIONSHIPS 87 WORK-LIFE ISSUES AND MOTHER-INFANT RELATIONSHIPS 90 SOCIETAL INFLUENCES ON PARENTING INFANTS 95 CONCLUSION 97 REFERENCES 99 UNDERSTANDING THE CAREGIVING PRACTICES OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS 105 THREE CASE STUDIES 106 Dawn and Her Son, Ricky 106 Kim and Her Daughter, Emily 108 Mary and Her Son, Josh 109 FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BECOMING A TEENAGE PARENT 110 DIFFERENCES IN CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES OF ADOLESCENT AND OLDER MOTHERS 113 FACTORS RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PARENTING BEHAVIOR OF ADOLESCENT MOTHERS 115 Developmental History 115 Characteristics of the Young Mothers 117 Contextual Sources of Stress and Support 118 Poverty 119 Number of Children 119 Neighborhood Context 120 Other Stressors 120 Social Support 121 Characteristics of the Child 122 KEY QUESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 122 REFERENCES 124 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 128 DAYCARE AND MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY 129 MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY LIFE IN 2000 131 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT AND DAY CARE ON CHILDREN 132 CHILD CARE IN AMERICA 134 INFANT COGNITIVE AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT 135 INFANT SOCIOEMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT 136 MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT AND PUBLIC POLICY 137 WELFARE TO WORK FOR LOW-INCOME MOTHERS 138 CRITICAL ISSUES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS 140 National Policy 141 Day Care Quality 141 Gender Equity 142 Training 143 Research 143 REFERENCES 144 INFANTS’ CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIORS HELP SHAPE THEIR ENVIRONMENTS 148 THE COMPETENT INFANT 149 THE ACTIVE INFLUENCE OF INFANTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT: A BRIEF HISTORY 150 HOW INFANT CHARACTERISTICS AND BEHAVIORS CAN AFFECT THEIR ENVIRONMENTS 152 GENETIC INFLUENCES ON INFANTS’ ENVIRONMENTS 155 ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON INFANTS’ OUTCOMES 157 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INFANTS’ INFLUENCE ON THEIR ENVIRONMENTS 158 Temperament 158 Gender 161 Physical Attractiveness 162 Prematurity 162 IMPLICATIONS FOR THEORY, RESEARCH, INTERVENTION, AND PARENTING: FUTURE TRENDS 163 CONCLUSION 165 REFERENCES 165 WIDENING THE LENS 171 EXAMINING OUR ASSUMPTIONS 172 ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT FATHERS ARE 172 Fathers Are Men 172 Fathers Are Romantic Partners of Mothers 173 Fathers Are Parents 174 Fathers Are Breadwinners 175 Fathers Are Helpmates 176 Fathers Are Caregivers 176 Fathers Are Playmates 177 ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT FATHERS ARE NOT 178 Fathers Are Not All the Same 178 Fathers Are Not Mothers 179 A BROADER PERSPECTIVE 179 A Social Perspective 179 A Dynamic Perspective 180 A Re-Defined Perspective 181 UNDERSTANDING INFLUENCES ON FATHERING 181 Fathers Are Influenced by Infants 182 Fathers Are Influenced by Mothers 182 Fathers Are Influenced by Society 183 Fathers Are Influenced by Culture 184 CHALLENGES AND CHANGES IN RESEARCH ON FATHERS 184 Why Study Fathers of Infants? 184 Changing Our Views of Fathers 185 Changing Our Research Methods 185 Changing Our Interpretation of Data 186 PRACTICAL PROBLEMS WITH FATHER RESEARCH 187 Access 187 Availability 187 Sensitivity 188 Establishing Trust 189 Recognizing the Impact of Research 189 FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR STUDYING FATHERS OF INFANTS 190 New Theories and Methods 190 Complex Contextual Models of Fathering 190 Non-Political Research 190 Research as Intervention 191 CONCLUSION 191 REFERENCES 192 ORIGINS OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIOR 196 GENETIC TRANSMISSION OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ALCOHOLISM 198 PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL 201 REARING ENVIRONMENT: POSTNATAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL 204 MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS 207 CONSTRUCTING MENTAL MODELS OF RISKY BEHAVIOR 208 CONCLUSION 213 REFERENCES 214 AUTHORS’ NOTE 222 NOTE 222 THE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE ON INFANTS 223 THE EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE EXPOSURE ON YOUNG CHILDREN 223 UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE EXPOSURE ON INFANTS AND TODDLERS 225 THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE EXPOSURE ON PARENTS AND THE RELATIONSHIP 226 SUPPORTING STRENGTHS IN YOUNG CHILDREN EXPOSED TO VIOLENCE 228 A COMMUNITY-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM (VIP) 231 COPS FOR KIDS 233 DIRECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE 234 CONCLUSION 235 REFERENCES 236 EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONS 239 WHAT ARE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS? 239 THE RECURRENT DILEMMA 240 Problems with Programs 241 Problems with Research 243 A COMPROMISE 245 Broadening the Question 246 FUTURE DIRECTIONS 248 Change over Time 249 Studying the Helper 250 Contexts and Systems 251 CONCLUSION 252 REFERENCES 253 NOTES 256 RELATIONSHIPS AT RISK 257 A TALE OF FOUR FAMILIES 257 The Lavender Room 258 The Peach Room 259 The Blue Room 259 The Rose Room 260 THE POLICY ENVIRONMENT—ONE BABY, ONE FAMILY AT A TIME 261 BEGINNING WITH BRONFENBRENNER 262 SAMEROFF, RUNYAN, AND THEIR COLLEAGUES 264 SOCIAL FORCES AND SOCIAL POLICIES: HILL, KAMERMAN, AND KAHN 266 MODELS FOR CHANGE: STEUERLE AND LAKOFF 268 RELATIONSHIPS AT RISK: THE POLICY ENVIRONMENT AS A CONTEXT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS AND ADULTS 270 REFERENCES 273 Contributors 275 Author & Subject Indices 276 Author Index 277 Subject Index 291 This Collection Of Essays By Leading Scholars In The Field Of Childhood Development Focus On The Critical Issues And Questions That Need To Be Addressed At The Beginning Of The Twenty-first Century. Topics Covered Include The Ecology Of Fetal Development, Birth And The Newborn Period, Family Ecology And Infant Development, Infant Care Settings, Gender Influences On Caregiving, Culture, Violence, Poverty, Substance Abuse, Social Support, Maternal Age, Risk And Protective Factors, The Impact Of Legal And Public Policy, And Historical, And Future Ecologies Of Infant Development. Pathways To Developmental Outcomes In Preterm Infants / Catherine S. Tamis-lemonda And Joanne Roberts -- Infant Attention And The Development Of Cognition : Does The Environment Moderate Continuity? / John Colombo And Terrill F. Saxon -- Nutrition : How Does It Affect Cognitive And Behavioral Development In Young Children? / Mark Swanson -- Ecological Influences On Mother-infant Relationships / Amy R. Susman-stillman And Martha Farrell Erickson -- Understanding The Caregiving Practices Of Adolescent Mothers / Tom Luster And Laura Bates -- Daycare And Maternal Employment In The 21st Century : Conflicts And Consequences For Infant Development / Jacqueline V. Lerner And Domini R. Castellino -- Infants' Characteristics And Behaviors Help Shape Their Environments / Katherine Hildebrandt Karraker And Priscilla Coleman -- Widening The Lens : Viewing Fathers In Infants' Lives / Lori Roggman, Lisa Boyce, And Jerry Cook -- Origins Of Addictive Behavior : Structuring Pathways To Alcoholism During Infancy And Early Childhood / Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Robert A. Zucker, Eun Young Mun, Leon I. Puttler, And Maria M. Wong -- The Effects Of Exposure To Violence On Infants : Current Perspectives And Directions For The Future / Joy D. Osofsky -- Early Childhood Interventions : Now What? / Jon Korfmacher -- Relationships At Risk : The Policy Environment As A Context For Infant Development / Emily Fenichel. Edited By Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Katherine Hildebrandt Karraker, & Tom Luster. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Infant Development is written by British and North American infancy researchers. The Chapters are organised along conventional lines in sections which cover perceptual, cognitive and social development, relating new findings on infant perception to both old and new accounts of cognitive development. Links are also drawn between these topics and the development of social interaction and language