Faculty Publications

Fathers' And Mothers' Responses To The Faces And Cries Of Normal And Premature Infants

Document Type

Article

Keywords

videotapes of premature vs full-term quiescent vs crying newborn infants, physiological arousal & mood, mothers vs fathers with 5 mo old infants

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Developmental Psychology

Volume

14

Issue

5

First Page

490

Last Page

498

Abstract

32 White, middle-class couples with 5-mo-old infants were shown videotapes depicting infants who were, in turn quiescent, crying, and quiescent. Half of the parents viewed

A normal (full-term) newborn, while half viewed

A premature infant. Sound tracks were dubbed so that half of the normal and half of the premature infants "emitted" the cry of

Anormal infant, while the other half emitted the cry of

Apremature infant. Physiological (heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance) and self-report measures (

Amood adjective checklist and an infant temperament measure) were gathered. The cry of the premature infant elicited greater autonomic arousal and was perceived as more aversive than the cry of the normal infant. The effect was especially pronounced when the premature cry was paired with the face of

Apremature infant. There were few sex differences. Results are discussed with reference to demographic evidence indicating that prematurely born children are "at risk" for child abuse. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1978 American Psychological Association.

Department

Department of Psychology

Original Publication Date

9-1-1978

DOI of published version

10.1037/0012-1649.14.5.490

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