Course Overview

The initial mother-baby/infant is a subject of research interest of all areas in Psychology and its importance for the development of the infant and for the attachment bond is consensus among Ethologists. The ethological approach offers an important theoretical contributions to the study of these early exchanges and methodological contributions through methods of direct observation of different aspects of this relationship. In addition, learn to use modern tools, used by Behavioral researchers around the world, will be of great value to students with research interests centered on social relations, and specifically on the mother-baby/infant relationship.

Learning Achievement

To present the ethological approach to study of the early mother-infant interactions, focusing on the contribution of researches with non-human primates and, in a broader perspective, compared to the maternal care in humans. The discipline will also have practical classes, in which the students will learn about methods of investigating the mother-infant interactions through direct observation, especially videotape data, ant to use modern software of video analysis (Observe XT) to quantify and measure diverse aspects of mother-infant interaction. It is expected that in the end of the course, students can be able to plan and conduct a research in this area.

Competence

Course prerequisites

Grading Philosophy

Participation in class, oral presentation, and written report.

Course schedule

Mother-infant interactions in an ethological perspective: historical bases and contributions from comparative approach; Parental investment, maternal styles of care, attachment, and parent-offspring conflict; Mother-infant initial interactions and their implications for the attachment bound and infant’s development; Proximate and ultimate causes of variation in maternal care; Models of parental practices in humans; Methods of observation to investigate mother-infant interactions; Process of design and conducting investigation on social interactions though direct observation; Introduction to software tools to encode and measure observational data in video (Observer).

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Michele Pereira Verderane

Other information

Site for Inquiry