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Data were analyzed that had been collected for a project entitled "Identification of Infants at Risk for the Development of Obesity" by the staff of the Human Nutrition and Foods, and Family and Child Development Departments at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. There were 156 subjects contacted to participate in the study. Demographic variables were collected and reported on each infant. Dietary Data were collected through means of a 24-hour dietary recall, bimonthly for 1 year. The data were analyzed using the Computer Assisted Instructional Program RCALL (Va. Coop. Exten. Ser., 1975). Vitamins A and C, riboflavin, niacin and iron were analyzed further to obtain bivariate joint frequency distributions and chi-squares. It was found that regardless of whether or not there was nutrient supplementation of an infant's diet, there were often excesses in nutrient intake. It was also found that breast fed infants (in the first 5 to 7 months of life) were supplemented significantly more often than formula fed infants but groups were not mutually exclusive throughout the study and further data could not be obtained so the effect of supplementation was not examined. Implications and recommendations for heal th education in the area of pediatric nutrition are discussed. Recommendations for further study are made based on this study. / M.S.

Thirty nonparent adults were assigned to either a High CAP group (n=15) or a Low CAP group (n=15) based upon their scores on the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Each subject's heart rate, skin conductance level and diastolic blood pressure were assessed while listening to a series of 4 high- and 4 normal-pitched infant cries. Subjects then rated the same cries on 6 perceptual scale items. Results indicated that the adults in the High CAP group showed a reliably higher resting heart rate following cry presentation and tended to respond with more heart rate change than adults in the Low CAP group. Adults in the High CAP group also responded to the normal-pitched cries with a higher skin conductance level than the Low CAP adults. Irrespective of CAP group, listeners' skin conductance level became attenuated in response to the normal-, but not the high-pitched infant cry sounds. In addition, all listeners perceived the high-pitched cry sounds as more aversive, arousing, distressing, urgent and sick sounding than the normal-pitched cry sounds. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of examining both adult and child characteristics that may mediate individual responsivity to infant cues. / M.S.

Two longitudinal studies were conducted to explore the mother-infant communication process during the first four months of postnatal life. One study focused on mothers' experiences communicating with their infants. Forty-seven mothers were interviewed when their infants were 6 to 8 weeks of age; 42 of the same mothers were interviewed when their infants were 16 to 18 weeks of age. Mothers were asked questions about their interactions with their infants, how they talked to their infants, why they talked to their infants, how they learned to talk to their infants, and what th,eir beliefs were about the relationship between talking to infants and development. A model was constructed from these data, conceptualizing the communication process between mothers and their young infants. Four themes were identified: expert advice influenced some mother-infant communication; mothers and infants co-regulated some of their communication; maternal communication behaviors were consistent across age and ethnicity; and experience talking to pets influenced some new mothers' speaking styles. / Ph. D.

This research investigated the effects of age, sex, male vs female voice, and unfamiliar vs familiar voice upon the infants body movements. The sample consisted of 40 middle-class infants, balanced according to sex, at four age levels -- 3, 6, 9, 12 months. Four tape-recorded stimulus conditions -- mother's voice, father's voice, female stranger’s voice, and male stranger's voice -- were presented to each infant. The body movements of the infants were recorded at one frame per second by an 8mm. camera. Analyses of variance were performed to determine any differences among the four stimulus conditions and control periods. The 12-month-old infants showed more activity to the father's voice than to the male stranger's voice or to the mother's voice. These subjects also showed more activity to the female stranger's voice than to the male stranger's voice. Female subjects were more active than male subjects to the unfamiliar voices on Trial 1. On Trial 2 females showed greater activity than males to the familiar voice. Females exhibited greater activity than males overall. Males showed greater activity than females to the cessation of the female voice and to the initiation of their father's voice. Results were discussed in terms of the infant's development as affected by sex of the infant and the cross-over effect found by Friedlander (1970). / Master of Science

Video tape records were made of seventy-seven infants, ranging in age from one to 24 months, as each was exposed for three minutes to four different levels of mirror distortion. A mirror behavior checklist (Amsterdam 1968, 1972) was used to identify 34 possible behaviors. The range and complexity of mirror related activities increases significantly during the first two years of life, culminating in self-recognition by 52% of the subjects aged 19 to 24 months. All subjects responded equivalently to both the plain and distorted mirror images, suggesting that it is the general configuration of the face that holds intrinsic interest at these age levels. The prevailing view that the infant's perception is qualitatively similar to that of the adult was supported by this study. / Master of Science

A longitudinal feeding study of 154 infants in Southwest Virginia was conducted during 1978-1980. The incidence of vitamin and mineral supplementation among these infants was the focus of the retrospective study discussed here. With the use of the Nutritional Analysis System of Louisiana State University, nutrient adequacy levels were determined. Vitamin D, vitamin E, folacin, vitamin B-6, and iron were the problem nutrients identified through this analysis. Inappropriate infant feeding practices such as the use of low iron formulas, the use of cow's milk, and the consumption of inadequate milk volume were blamed for these dietary deficiencies. Routine vitamin supplementation was common among infants of all feeding types. While much of the supplementation was unnecessary, large percentages of infants demonstrated a need for it. The exception was vitamin A. None of the infants who received supplemental vitamin A had inadequate dietary intakes of this nutrient. Supplementation was not shown to have an effect on weight or length gain measurements. Parents should be given specific infant feeding instructions prior to hospital discharge. Included should be a list of the circumstances which would indicate the need for supplementation. / M.S.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of providing stationary and nonstationary visual stimuli to preterm infants by designing a device that met basic hospital safety requirements and fit within the incubator. A sample of 20 preterm infants were observed. Differences in responses between baseline, stationary, and nonstationary conditions were recorded using state, focal point, time attending, heart and respiratory rates. Each infant was observed on two separate days. Each observation period was divided into three 2-minute segments. On the intervention day, data were collected in a baseline, stimulus, stimulus sequence. On the nonintervention day, only baseline data were collected in the three 2-minute time· segments. Parametric and nonparametric analyses revealed significant differences in state, focal point, and heart rate between observation days. Results of state, focal point, and heart rate indicate a response to the stimulus during the first stimulus exposure period. Significant effects in state, focal point, time, period, and heart rate during the second exposure period indicate an orienting response. It is suggested that after a period of response and reorganization, the infants were able to orient to the device during the second exposure period. These results also suggest that this visual stimulation device may be helpful in long-term visual stimulation studies and interventions. / M.S.

An improved digital computer model of the neonatal respiratory system was developed. Using previous models as a basis, important improvements were made in order to accurately simulate infant blood gas chemistry and its effect on respiratory and circulatory control. The model is divided into five physiologic compartments: heart, brain, lungs, tissues, and cerebrospinal fluid compartment. Respiration is a function hydrogen ion concentration in the medulla and oxygen tension and hydrogen ion concentration in the aorta. Cardiac output is a function of oxygen and carbon dioxide tension in the brain and oxygen tension at the tissues. Major improvements in this model include an advanced carbon dioxide dissociation relationship and a complex blood buffer system. It also is able to simulate treatment of respiratory distressed infants with bicarbonate infusion and respirator therapy. In addition, it has a simplified variable time delay. In order to evaluate the model, an attempt was made to simulate an actual infant. Results indicate that while the model is an improvement over previous attempts, it is still deficient in some areas in its ability to simulate actual infants. More comparisons with actual data must be made to accurately evaluate the model. / Master of Science