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Clinical Application of Asymmetrical Behavioral Communication in Parent-Infant Interaction

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Theory and Research in Behavioral Pediatrics

Abstract

Independent of handedness, 80% of mothers visiting well-baby clinics have a left-sided preference when holding babies under 1 year of age (Salk, 1960; Weiland, 1964). The left-side holding preference also is present during the first few days after delivery (de Château, Holmberg, & Winberg, 1978). Six-year-old girls hold a baby doll, pretending it to be a newborn baby, to the left of the body midline in 70% of the cases observed. No such preference is found in boys or male adults. It has been demonstrated that fathers show approximately the same preference as mothers (de Chateau, 1983). If, however, mother and infant are separated during the neonatal period, the side-holding preference may disappear (de Chateau et al., 1978; Salk, 1970). This may be of general interest, as it suggests that perinatal maternal anxiety can alter an existing behavior pattern.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen, Radboudziekenhuis, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Peter de Château

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  1. Peter de Château
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Hiram E. Fitzgerald Ph.D. (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

  2. Bradley Hospital and Women and Infants Hospital, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Barry M. Lester Ph.D. (Professor of Child Psychiatry/Human Behavior and Pediatrics) (Professor of Child Psychiatry/Human Behavior and Pediatrics)

  3. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Michael W. Yogman M.D. (Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics) (Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics)

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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de Château, P. (1991). Clinical Application of Asymmetrical Behavioral Communication in Parent-Infant Interaction. In: Fitzgerald, H.E., Lester, B.M., Yogman, M.W. (eds) Theory and Research in Behavioral Pediatrics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3680-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-3680-2_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6635-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-3680-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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