Affect and Attention: Infants Observed with Mothers and Peers

Abstract

ADAMSON, LAUREN B., and BAKEMAN, ROGER. Affect and Attention: Infants Observed with Mothers and Peers. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1985, 56, 582-593. This study documents the rate, mean duration, and mode of infants' affective displays. Using a cross-sequential design, infants were observed in their homes from 6 to 18 months playing with their mothers, with peers, and alone. Affect rates were higher with mothers than peers. With increasing age, affect rates as well as the vocal mode increased, while mean durations and facial and motoric modes decreased. Affect was most likely when infants were engaged with mothers or peers in person play. It also occurred often when infants first became engaged with the same object their partner was manipulating; with mothers (but not peers) affect continued to be expressed throughout these periods of shared object play. Rates were elevated when mothers moved objects repetitively. Discussion focuses on how infants' earlierdeveloping affective communication skills may continue to be used as they begin to explore the world of objects and on how adults may support this integration of expressive and referential communication.