Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Common Marmoset Model of Mother-Infant Intervention for Breastfeeding Disorders in the Presence of Paternal Inhibition and Maternal Neglect
Published on: September 22, 2023
[The measurement of maternal mind-mindedness: its relation to mother-infant interaction in natural settings]
1Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University, Japan. iku.shino@tf2.mbox.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp
The purpose of this study was to construct an original video-based measurement of maternal mind-mindedness (MM). MM is mother's proclivity to treat her infant as an individual with mind (Meins, 1997). Participants were 38 mothers and their six-month-old infants. The results of assessment suggested that there were large individual differences not only in frequency of maternal mental attributions, but also in the specific contents that mothers read from the filmed infants' behaviors. Moreover, it was revealed that these individual differences in MM were related to mother-infant interaction styles in natural settings, especially maternal comments on infant's internal state and the followings of infant's attention. Finally, the usefulness of this measurement in examining the effect of MM on the child's development of mind understanding was discussed.
The purpose of this study was to construct an original video-based measurement of maternal mind-mindedness (MM). MM is mother's proclivity to treat her infant as an individual with mind (Meins, 1997). Participants were 38 mothers and their six-month-old infants. The results of assessment suggested that there were large individual differences not only in frequency of maternal mental attributions, but also in the specific contents that mothers read from the filmed infants' behaviors. Moreover, it was revealed that these individual differences in MM were related to mother-infant interaction styles in natural settings, especially maternal comments on infant's internal state and the followings of infant's attention. Finally, the usefulness of this measurement in examining the effect of MM on the child's development of mind understanding was discussed.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
The Nativist Approach
Attachment
Development of Human Microbiota
Naturalistic Observations

