The Characteristics of Infant Stress

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ABSTRACT This research is focused on the relation between stress, cortisol release (a physiological indicator of stress), and measures of behavioral distress in infants. It promises to produce new data on this relationship, for although research on the relation between stress and cortisol has been a part of the infant research literature for many years, such research has not included behavioral measures. Intensity of discomfort and cortisol release has also been studied in past research, but again, the behavioral correlates have been neglected. Bringing standardized behavioral observations into the study of infant stress promises to provide a better understanding of the factors that influence infants' stress reactions. This program of research promises much information on the relationship between stress and physiological and behavioral reactions to it. Studied over varying stress intensities, and over children of different ages, the study promises to tell us much about the effects of stress on infants. This information is important both theoretically and practically, and will enrich our understanding of fundamental developmental processes in infancy. ***//