Longitudinal approach to the development of mother-infant communication and infant rearing support starting during the fetal period

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Several longitudinal studies were conducted to investigate how mother-infant communication is generated and how it develops throughout the fetal period and infancy. 1. Using four-dimensional ultrasonography, we found that fetuses opened their mouths before their hands came in contact with their mouths. Such anticipatory movements seem to be based on the knowledge of intersensorimotor relations in their bodies. Fetuses responded exclusively to their mothers' voices by opening their mouths wider, suggesting that they recognized their mothers' voices from among the other external stimuli. These findings suggest the experience-dependent nature of fetal development and need to consider the auditory stimulus provided by mothers. 2. From the neonatal period, longitudinal diagnostic tests of infants' development, semi-structured interviews with the mothers regarding offspring rearing, and a longitudinal questionnaire investigation on the behavior and life pattern of breastfeeding mothers and i … More nfants clarified that mothers' difficulty while living with their infants reached a peak around the end of the second month, when infants' proactive behavior increases. It was suggested that practical child rearing support soon after birth is helpful or necessary for mothers. 3. Longitudinal experimental investigations on the development of object manipulation, drawing, and eating behavior were conducted. The results were compared with corresponding data for chimpanzees ; we found that although chimpanzees possess abilities comparable to human infants in several behavioral aspects, human infants develop these behaviors through social communication with their caretakers, which is difficult to observe in chimpanzees. Shared imagination emerges among human infants earlier. The results suggested that human mothers experience conflicting emotions regarding their offspring when their infants' misbehave. 4. Developmental changes in infants' playing behavior through peer interaction were described through an observation in a group during an infant rearing peer support activity. Maternal consciousness for rearing infants was surveyed among these group participants. Less