Continuous 24-Hour Interactional Monitoring in Infants Reared in Two Caretaking Environments

Abstract

Sixteen infants, comprising two groups of 8 normal neonates each, were reared under one or the other of two different caretaking conditions. Crying, motility and caretaker intervention were monitored for every infant from days 2 to 25 after birth. A monitor variable, “activity-segment time” derived from the continuous record, correlated highly with observed awake time. A significant curvilinear relationship was found for this infant state variable, with highs at the onset and conclusion of the study period regardless of caretaking experience. Differences in rearing environment appear to exert an influence on the degree of day-night differentiation of this variable in the first 10 days of life.