Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue Overview of the research problem and summary of findings
- 1 Relationships as developing systems: theoretical foundations
- 2 Mother-infant relationship development in the first six months: from face-to-face play to object play
- 3 Relational-historical research on developmental change
- 4 Relational-historical research: the multiple case study approach, frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis
- 5 Research propositions about relationship change processes
- 6 Research methods for the current investigation: subjects, procedures, and data analysis
- 7 Results of the current investigation: quantitative analysis of developmental changes in relationship frames and in infant actions
- 8 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Richard and his mother
- 9 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Betsy and her mother
- 10 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Lewis and his mother
- 11 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Susan and her mother
- 12 Summary of findings on relational-historical change
- Epilogue Laws of change: implications for theory and practice
- References
- Author index
- Subject index
2 - Mother-infant relationship development in the first six months: from face-to-face play to object play
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Acknowledgments
- Prologue Overview of the research problem and summary of findings
- 1 Relationships as developing systems: theoretical foundations
- 2 Mother-infant relationship development in the first six months: from face-to-face play to object play
- 3 Relational-historical research on developmental change
- 4 Relational-historical research: the multiple case study approach, frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis
- 5 Research propositions about relationship change processes
- 6 Research methods for the current investigation: subjects, procedures, and data analysis
- 7 Results of the current investigation: quantitative analysis of developmental changes in relationship frames and in infant actions
- 8 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Richard and his mother
- 9 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Betsy and her mother
- 10 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Lewis and his mother
- 11 Results of the current investigation: qualitative analysis of Susan and her mother
- 12 Summary of findings on relational-historical change
- Epilogue Laws of change: implications for theory and practice
- References
- Author index
- Subject index
Summary
In this study, we apply a relational-historical perspective to the study of the developmental transition from face-to-face to mother-infant-object play in early infancy. In this chapter, we review the literature on that transition. In the first part of this chapter we review the literature on infant's early relationships to objects. We focus on the changes in infant object manipulation skills before, during, and after the acquisition of visually directed reaching: the “individual” hallmark of this developmental transition. In the second part of this chapter, we review research on the development of social play with and without objects during this developmental period. In the final part of this chapter, we review evidence related to the development of individual differences in object-directed skills that emerge following this developmental transition.
The individual perspective
A great deal of research has been done using normative and experimental approaches and focusing on infants' acquisition of perception and action with objects. This section is a brief review of the findings from this perspective – on perception of objects, reaching, manual and oral exploration – especially as they regard changes during the period between two and seven months.
Perception of objects
A developmental transition occurs between three and four months, when infants begin to perceive moving objects as whole units (Baillargeon, 1987; Kellman & Spelke, 1983; von Hofsten & Spelke, 1985). If part of an object is blocked from the infants' view, for example, they recognize it when it is no longer obscured.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Change Processes in RelationshipsA Relational-Historical Research Approach, pp. 35 - 47Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006