10 male and 12 female 9-mo.-old infants were observed with their mothers in a laboratory situation that included a stranger's approach, an interview, and a problem to solve. No sex differences in average reaction to a stranger were noted. The pattern of correlates which predicted the infants' reactions to a stranger differed for the two sexes. Mothers who centered their attention on and responded to their girls had girls who reacted more positively to the stranger. These same maternal variables did not predict the boys' reaction to a stranger. The implications of these results for the prediction of reaction to a stranger are discussed.
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