INFANTS CHANGING-ROLE IN MOTHER-INFANT GAMES - GROWTH OF SOCIAL SKILLS

This study examined developmental changes in the games played by mothers and infants during normal activities at home. Fourteen mothers and infants were observed when the infants were 6, 8, and 12 months of age; 80 minutes of data were collected at each age. With age, games became more frequent and infants became increasingly likely to initiate them. Games in which infants played a relatively passive role, frequent at 6 months, were replaced by 12 months with games in which infants played an active role, using newly acquired behaviors. In the games that were played at all ages-peekaboo, ball, and vocal-infant participation shifted from passive enjoyment at 6 months to active involvement at 12 months. Finally, rank correlations across age for games were moderately high. The results illustrate the sensitivity of mothers in adjusting their own behavior to keep pace with their infants' development. They also suggest that the structure of mother-infant games may serve both as an index of infants' social skills and as one context in which infants acquire these skills. © 1979 Ablex Publishing Corporation.