A Method of Defining 'Packages' of Maternal Stimulation and their Functional Significance for the Infant with Mother and Stranger

Abstract

A method of defining co-occurring constellations or "packages" of maternal facial-visual engagement and head or hand stimulation during face-to-face play with an infant is presented, using microanalysis of 16 mm film. This method permits partner-specific tailoring of adult kinesic stimulation patterns to facilitate comparisons of dyads where the patterning of the adult partner's behaviors may vary greatly. The functional relevance of these packages for one four-month-infant's concurrent level of facial-visual engagement is documented in two case studies of this infant playing with his mother and a stranger. The infant's level of engagement covaries with the package changes of both adult partners. The change in adult kinesic stimulation pattern, averaging 1.5-3 seconds, provides a more molar unit with which to document a form of "interactional synchrony" and mutual affective exchange. The similarity of findings with mother and stranger suggests that this infant's appreciation of packages is not person-specific at this age, but rather may be a more general social-perceptual capacity.