Mothering and its effect on child growth is the subject of current child development research

Calhoon, Carol

English

Mothering and its effect on child growth is the subject of current child development research.</p

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

In a current Child Development research program, four-year-olds are the subje~ts of the second phase of test-ing. Although this child is not one of the group involved in the program, she IS the same age. Child Development Experts Study "Multiple-Mother" Effects By Carol Calhoon, H. Ec. Jl. 4 M othering and its effect on child growth is the subject of current child development re-search. This home economics research includes meas-urements of development and adjustment of three groups of children, each having different conditions during their first few months of life. Under general direction of Dr. Glenn Hawkes, head of the Child Development De-partment, the study is led by Dr. Bruce Gard-ner and Dr. Damaris Pease. "Other researchers have noted that children having multiple-mother conditi~ns during ea~ly childhood have had faulty phystcal growth , m -adequate personal development and e~e~ men-tally retarded attitudes. Our hypothesis 1s that there is no difference in their final growth, but at this stage of the research we are un~ble to determine final results," Dr. Gardner satd. Data are now being classified on the findings of the first phase of testing, completed in De-APRIL, 1960 cember, 1959. At this time all of the children had been tested at the two-year-old level. In the experiment are 118 children. Group A includes infants who lived in the Iowa State home management houses for one quarter be-fore being placed in foster ho~es an~ then adoptive homes. Group B cons~sts of mfants who resided in private homes wtth foster par-ents before they were adopted. Children in both groups were born to unmarried mothers and released for legal adoption. They were se-lected by the Iowa Children's Home Society, which also supervised the placement and adop-tion of the infants. Group C infants were born into complete families and presumably received normal mothering in their own homes, according ~o Dr. Gardner. These babies were selected m Des Moines. Only full-term infants were accepted, " full-term" being a minimum birth weight of 51!2 Continued on page 19 ll Continued from page 11 -pounds. Sex differences were controlled as much as possible within limits of infant avail-ability. The information being collected is classified into medical, psychometric, and physiological. The medical data consists of the birth his-tory and reports made by the examining physi-cian. The Gesell Developmental Schedule estimates psychometric data in four areas; lan-guage, motor, adaptive and personal-social. Impressions of the psychological examiners are also recorded during the examination. The complete test requires about one hour, depending on the age of the child, the ease of developing communication and other factors , according to Dr. Hawkes. The tests are con-ducted at the Iowa Children's Home Society in Des Moines or in the Child Development Lab-oratory in Fisher Home Management House basement. " Ideally, we would like to continue the tests until the children reach maturity, but because of costs and staff limitations we are not sure of the final tests," Dr. Gardner explained. They will possibly finish when the children reach school age. Financial support to conduct the research was received from the Elizabeth McCormick Memorial Fund. The study was begun in 1955 in cooperation with the Iowa Children's Home Society. Answers to quiz, page 18 Answers: I. Harold MacMillan; 2. "Exodus"-Uris; "Hawaii"-Michener; "Advise and Con-sent"-Drury; 3. Russia, the United States placed third; 4. Omar Khayyam; 5. "Beatnik" coffee; 6. Anton Dvorak; 7. Home Ec., Ellie Shackson and Frankie Nolan; 8. Christian Herter, John Foster Dulles; 9. Mary Martin; 10. Frank Lloyd Wright. Wedding Invitations and Announcements $l2o00 per hundred PEN 520 Walnut SHOP DES MOINES, IOWA APR IL, 1960 Need a gift for that "certain female"? Lucile can help you o Gift & China Shop 413 Douglas Ph. CE 2-4215 Planning a Let us handle your flower arrangements o 700 Brand CH 3-4279 Three Stores DES MOINES 3422 Beaver CR 7-4416 3801 Ingersoll BL 5-2188 19 

Child Development Experts Study "Multiple Mother" Effects

https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4549&amp;context=homemaker

Child Development Experts Study Multiple Mother Effects

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