On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:10:04 -0500 (CDT), "Joan Warmbold" wrote: > In 1972, Ainsworth and Bell conducted a very important study about the > impact of picking up a crying baby on their future crying. I believe it > was published in Child Development by Bell and Ainsworth titled, "Infant > Crying and Maternal Responsiveness," 1972: 43, pp 1171-1190. I'm simply > baffled at why this very important study has been cited more frequently > nor given attention in child psychology units in text books.
I assume that above Joan meant to say "why this very important study has NOT been cited more frequently". Please correct me if I'm wrong. Also, the abstract to the article is worth reading in its own right: Bell, S. M., & Ainsworth, M. D. (1972). Infant crying and maternal responsiveness. Child Development, 43(4), 1171-1190. doi:10.2307/1127506 Abstract Conducted a naturalistic, longitudinal study of 26 middle-class white infant-mother pairs. Results show that consistency and promptness of maternal response was associated with decline in frequency and duration of infant crying. By the end of the 1st yr. individual differences in crying reflected the history of maternal responsiveness rather than constitutional differences in infant irritability. Close physical contact was the most frequent maternal intervention and the most effective in terminating crying. Nevertheless, maternal effectiveness in terminating crying was found to be less powerful than promptness of response in reducing crying in subsequent months. Evidence suggests that whereas crying is expressive at first, it can later be a mode of communication directed specifically toward the mother. Development of noncrying modes of communication, as well as a decline in crying, is associated with maternal responsiveness to infant signals. Findings are discussed in an evolutionary context, and with reference to the popular belief that to respond to his cries spoils a baby. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved) It should be noted that with respect to number of citations, PsycInfo gives a total of 114 articles citing Bell & Ainsworth (1972) but it has been my experience that the number PsycInfo provides is usually an underestimate of actual citation. The ISI Web of Knowledge database is more comprehensive and claims that 302 articles cite B&A and the three most recent being published in 2008; see: (1) Title: Maternal responsiveness to young children at three ages: Longitudinal analysis of a multidimensional, modular, and specific parenting construct Author(s): Bornstein MH, Tamis-LeMonda CS, Hahn CS, et al. Source: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 44 Issue: 3 Pages: 867-874 Published: MAY 2008 (2) Title: Relations among child negative emotionality, parenting stress, and maternal sensitive responsiveness in early childhood Author(s): Paulussen-Hoogeboom MC, Stams GJJM, Hermanns JMA, et al. Source: PARENTING-SCIENCE AND PRACTICE Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-16 Published: JAN-MAR 2008 (3) Title: The functional neuroanatomy of maternal love: Mother's response to infant's attachment behaviors Author(s): Noriuchi M, Kikuchi Y, Senoo A Source: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY Volume: 63 Issue: 4 Pages: 415-423 Published: FEB 15 2008 I haven't looked at these articles but if I had to, I'd probably start with Marc Bornstein's article to see what the view and interpretation of B&A's research is (but that's just my bias). With respect to Laura Spiegel, I found only one website that had anything referring to her and it was in the context of something called the "First 5 Commission of San Diego County 2005 Family Survey Report", which is available as PDF at: www.first5sandiego.org/pdfs/SDF5%202005%20Family%20Survey.pdf A PsycInfo search of "Spiegel and attachment" produces no hits nor does a search of ISI's Web of Knowledge. Who is Laura Spiegel? -Mike Palij New York University [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
