Effects of Familiarity and Maternal Attention on Infant Peer Relations.

Abstract

After 30 years of neglect, the issue of social interaction among infants recently has been extensively studied (Eckerman, Whatley, & Kutz, 1975; Lewis, Young, Brooks, & Michalson, 1975; Kagan, 1975; etc.). In contrast to the results of the research performed in the 1930s, the results of recent investigations suggest that infants can engage in positive social interaction (per contra, Bronson, 1974; Bronson & Pankey, Note 1) and that peer relations in children have served important functions in the course of evolution (Konner, 1975; Lewis et al., 1975). The view that peer relations in infancy can be meaningful and important would be supported if it could be shown that infants can profit from prior experience with infants in their social interaction. Will two infants familiar with each other differ in the quality of their interaction compared to two unfamiliar infants? Does it matter whether unfamiliar infants have little experience with other infants, much experience but with no consistent partner, or much experience with a consistent partner? The degree of transfer of peer experience can be examined in encounters between unfamiliar infants having these varying backgrounds. The results of these interactions could then be compared to what occurs when familiar infants are put to gether, in order to understand whether familiarity differs from dif ferent types of experience with peers in affecting social interaction in infancy. Several studies have begun to look at the effects of longterm experience with infants on the nature of peer relations in infancy. Three studies in particular have tried to differentiate the effects of