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Maternal sensitivity as an external organizer for biobehavioral regulation in infancy
Author(s) -
Spanglar Gottfried,
Schieche Michael,
Ilg Ursula,
Maier Ursula,
Ackermann Claudia
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420270702
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , sensitivity (control systems) , engineering , electronic engineering
Recent findings from both animal and human research have clearly demonstrated connections between behavioral coping mechanisms and adrenocortical function. The aim of this study was to address the role of maternal sensitivity as an external organizer of psychobiological function in infants during the first year of life. Forty‐one infants and their mothers were observed during play at 3, 6, and 9 months of age. Age‐specific patterns of relation between maternal sensitivity and infant behavioral organization were found indicating contextual dependence of infant behavior at 3 months and experience‐related behavioral function at 9 months. An affect of maternal sensitivity on adrenocortical function during the free play was demonstrated at 3 and 6 months, because an increase in cortisol was most frequently observed in infants of highly insensitive mothers. The findings indicate the importance of maternal behavior for infant biobehavioral organization.©1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.