Reacción infantil ante extrañosinteracción entre sistemas de conducta

Abstract

Fear of strangers and its interaction with other behaviour systems (attachment and affiliation) was analysed in relation to the infant�s developmental level. An effort was made to reproduce conditions as similar as possible to real life-situations in which one meets strangers. Thirty infants divided into two age groups (8-9 months and 11-12 months) took part in the study. Results may be summarized as follows: a) the incidence of each behaviour studied (fear, attachment, and affiliation) was confirmed. b) During the meeting, fear was found to be predominant during intrusive episodes while affiliation occured more frequently during play interaction. c) With the older infants, there was an increase in their ability to evaluate the situation�s threat value (greater intensity and incidence of fear) in the security of their attachment and in the behavioural resources they used to control the behaviour of the unknown person by sending out positive signals.