Maternal Behavior and Sharing by Toddlers

In a study of 33 lower income black infants, carried out when they were 19-mo.-old toddlers, social sharing to mother was related to a measure of maternal praise and encouragement. Because these measures were obtained in separate sessions with different observers the possibility of halo effects was minimized. Also neither measure related significantly to the Bayley Mental Development Index. The results extend previous work on sharing done with middle-class toddlers and point up the importance of individual differences in their behavior.