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Maternal touch in object- and nonobject-oriented play interactions: A longitudinal study at 7 and 12 months
Juliana F Serra1, Helga Miguel2, Filipe Araújo1
1Psychological Neuroscience Lab, Psychology Research Center, School of Psychology, University of Minho.
Developmental Psychology
|January 9, 2025
Summary
Maternal touch frequency and type adapt to infant age and play complexity. Mothers use less touch overall as infants grow, adjusting touch styles based on object play demands.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Behavior
- Maternal Interaction
Background:
- Social touch is vital for mother-infant bonding and communication.
- Limited understanding exists on how maternal touch adapts to specific infant interactions and developmental stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how maternal touch behavior changes across infant age (7 and 12 months) and during different social play tasks.
- To analyze the quantity and types of maternal touch in relation to task complexity and infant development.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 7- and 12-month-old infants and their mothers during three structured play tasks (object, no object, difficult object).
- Categorization of maternal touch using an adapted Ordinalized Maternal Touch Scale.
- Statistical analysis using Bayesian beta mixed models to assess the impact of age and task on touch frequency and type.
Main Results:
- Maternal touch was more frequent in dyadic play than triadic object play.
- Affectionate, static, and playful touches were common in dyadic play; object-mediated touch increased in triadic play.
- Overall maternal touch decreased with infant age, particularly static and object-mediated touch, varying with object play complexity.
Conclusions:
- Maternal touch is dynamic, adapting to infant developmental needs and the demands of different play contexts.
- The study highlights the nuanced nature of maternal touch, influenced by infant age and interactive task complexity.
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