Comparison of Infants' Reunion with Fathers and Mothers

Abstract

Each of 30 infants was observed during reunion with the father or mother in a nonstressful living room setting. Infants responded to reunion with fathers with an intense, brief display of socioemotional behavior toward them; reunion with mothers resulted in a more diffuse display. The findings suggest that, under nonstressful circumstances, infants behave in qualitatively different ways during reunion with fathers and mothers.