Dynamical analysis of infant social referencing

The purpose of the present study was to examine relations between joint attention, language, maternal sensitivity, and temperament and the emergence of social referencing in infants and to closely observe variability in social referencing. Five infants, 7 months of age, were observed on a weekly basis for a period of four months. All five infants were engaging in social referencing behavior at the beginning of the study, which is much earlier than the literature indicates; therefore, the onset of the behavior was missed. However, results did indicate variability in social referencing behavior, in that infants referenced more in the laboratory than at home, more after being picked up by a stranger than when the stranger was approaching, and more when hearing a noise for the first time than when hearing that noise the second time. Results also showed an emergent pattern of behavior in joint attention.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2000

Author dc:creator

• Atkins, Melissa Sue

Contributors dc:contributor

• Anne C. Watson.
• Tracy L. Morris
• Hayne W. Reese

• Developmental psychology

Identifier

https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/738

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-1741