No abstract

Three predictor variables--vulnerability to stress, expectations for parenting stress, and low power attributions--were assessed for 21 couples during pregnancy. In-home observations of parent-infant interactions occurred 4 months postnatally. Stepwise multiple regression analyses, calculated separately for mothers and fathers, revealed that prenatal stress factors were more successful in predicting father-infant interactions. On the interaction variable basic care, 67% of the variance was explained by fathers' parenting stress expectations, stress vulnerability, and attributions for low power, whereas only 2% of the variance on basic care was explained by maternal scores on the same variables. Results of this study indicated that parent-infant interactions are affected by parental attitudes and personality characteristics. The present research also underscored the continued need to study the differential effects of gender on parent-infant interactions.

No abstract

A standard multiple classification problem (simple intersection) was modified so that measurement ability, as well as the ability to attend to two dimensions at once, was required for its solution. This was administered to 20 boys and girls at each of three age levels in conjunction with a Piagetian landscape test of spatial functioning to determine the degree of relationship between logical and sublogical operations by defining their common cognitive components. A significant intertask relationship was expected, since both apparently require the same cognitive abilities. Performance on both tasks improved significantly with age, and the relationship between them was significant. The sequence and pattern of development of the individual cognitive skills required to solve the tasks were discussed.