Betty N. Gordon

Sex Differences in Social Interaction Between Infant Monkeys and Their Mothers

Knowledge of the origin and development of sex differences in children is important in a dynamic formulation of social behavior. Although there is widespread belief that infant boys behave differently from girls, only scattered empirical evidence supports this view [1, 2]. The psychosocial theories of the origin of behavioral differences between the sexes emphasize cultural influences and psychological experience in terms of the parent’s, particularly the mother’s, attitudes and behaviors toward the child [3–5]. Animal behaviorists investigating sex differences have, on the other hand, emphasized unlearned or innate processes, particularly those effected and mediated by sex hormones [6, 7]. This gulf between developmental theories based on humans and on animal research appears to be large and resembles the old polarity between learned and innate determinants of behavior.

Interpersonal Behavior Constructs: A Revised Approach to Defining Dyadic Interaction Styles

Methods for analyzing mother-child interactions which have been used in clinical and research studies over a 10-yr. period have been revised in the interests of greater economy and more precise clinical utility. This paper reports data to document the comparability of the old and new approaches, the reliability of the method when used by several observers, and the usefulness of the new instrument in delineating behavioral change before and after therapeutic intervention.

A mother instruction program: Behavior changes with and without therapeutic intervention

Mother-child behavior changes over therapeutic intervention and no-contact periods were compared. Fifteen dyads had 8 weeks of instruction followed by no contact; 15 followed a reversed schedule. Overall change was about the same in both groups, and both changed more during instruction than during no-contact periods. Mothers receiving immediate instruction showed greater and more systematic immediate changes following instruction. Children in the group with later follow-up exhibited a greater proportion of behavior change during the no-contact period than during instruction. Thus, no-contact periods cannot be considered no-change periods, though immediate intervention probably ensures more systematic change than intervention preceded by waiting-list experience.

Nursing behavior in infant monkeys: a sequence analysis.

Fourteen pair of mother-infant pigtail monkeys were raised from birth to 15 weeks of age in two different controlled laboratory environments, one relatively rich and the other relatively devoid of stimuli. Quantitative observational data treated by trend analysis and by sequence analysis focused on nursing behavior. The closest positions of mother and infant relative to each other led to patterns of continued closeness as did patterns of nursing combined with maternal cradling. When nursing took place in a near position outside the mothers lap the infant was likely to leave her.