Fathers' and mothers' responses to the faces and cries of normal and premature infants.

Abstract

Sixty-four parents were shown videotapes depicting infants who were, in turn, quiescent, crying, and quiescent. Half of the parents viewed a normal (full term) newborn, while half viewed a premature infant. Sound tracks were dubbed so that half of the normal and half of the premature infants ' 'emitted the cry of a normal infant, while the other half emitted the cry of a premature infant. Physiological and self-report measures were gathered. Analyses revealed that the cry of the premature infant elicited greater autonomic arousal and was perceived as more aversive than the cry of the normal infant. The effect was especially pronounced when the premature cry was paired with the face of a premature infant. There were few sex differences. Results are discussed with reference to demographic evidence indicating that prematurely born children are at risk for child abuse.