The father's role in the socialization of his infant

Although research on fathers and infants increased dramatically during the past decade, it did so largely in a theoretical vacuum. Theories of development emphasize mother‐infant relationships, with little attention, if any, given to father‐infant relationships. As a result, studies of father‐infant interactions tend to replicate procedures that have been used in mother‐infant research. While useful, mimicking mother‐infant research paradigms may blind investigators to salient aspects of development that are unique to and critical for father‐infant relationships. In traditional families, study of mother‐father‐infant triadic interactions may reveal more useful information about the father's role in infant socialization, than the study of father‐infant dyadic interactions. However, the study of triadic interactions may yield little useful information about father‐infant interaction in the single parent family. Until a number of methodological issues are resolved, the literature on the father's role in the socialization of his infant must be interpreted cautiously.