TABLE 1.

Dimensions of Maternal Behavior Rated in the Context of Bathing and their Associations with Infant Stress Response

Maternal Caregiving Behavior Dimension	Definition	Correlation with Change in Infant Cortisol
Maternal Acceptance- Rejection	Mother accepts the infant as an independent being, with interests and preferences that differ from her own.	−.23
Sensitivity- Insensitivity	Mother bases her behavior on infant signals and promptly responds.	−.47*
Cooperation- Intrusiveness	Mother does not unnecessarily interfere with the infant’s agenda; she cooperates with the infant’s wishes; she is not intrusive	−.46*
Quality of Vocal Contact	Mother engages infant with high quality vocalizations, frequent use of “motherese”	−.20
Quality of Physical Contact	Mother handles the infant appropriately, accommodating infant posture and assuring physical comfort	−.40*

Note. Codes adapted from the Technical manual for the Systems for Coding Infant Attachment and Reciprocal Maternal Behaviors (Ainsworth, 1976).

^*p < .05