Abstract
SKARIN, KURT. Cognitive and Contextual Determinants of Stranger Fear in Sixand ElevenMonth-Old Infants. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 537-544. Familiarity of the setting, the mother's presence, sex of the stranger, and the distance separating the infant and the stranger were varied to examine the expression of stranger fear in 5-7and 10-12-month-old male and female infants. A total of 32 infants participated. Each infant was approached by a male and a female stranger in each of the 4 contextual arrangements: home-mother present; home-mother absent; lab-mother present; and lab-mother absent. There were 2 dependent measures: behavior ratings of facial expression and heart rate change scores. The behavioral and heart rate measures showed similar effects for the main contextual variables and for each age group, which indicated that they were measuring different aspects of the same response system. The older infants responded to the stranger more negatively than did the younger subjects. Negative responses to the stranger were reliably affected by the contextual variables of setting, condition, and sex of stranger. The additive effects of these contextual factors was demonstrated for both the behavioral and the heart rate measures. These results were interpreted as reflecting the cognitive developmental changes that take place within the 7-9-month age period.
Published Version
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