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This longitudinal study of character development, which began in 1963, is a testament to the ingenuity and determination of the authors and to the problems associated with longitudinal studies of broad, developmental issues. The research grew out of an investigation of the vicissitudes of oral-phase development in normal infants. The authors claim to have demonstrated their hypothesis that children who are more adequately mothered during the first year of life show more emotional maturity at age 18 than less adequately mothered children. The initial phase of the study (1963-1968) looked at mother-infant interaction during the first year of life in 131 normal white dyads. The first author rated maternal behavior as (A) “more adequate” or (B) “less adequate” on the basis of her direct observations and interviews; group A infants showed more advanced development than group B infants at 26 and 52 weeks of age.
The second phase of the study (1968-1973) occurred when funds became unexpectedly available. Follow-up was possible for 121 of the original infants, who stayed in the study until age 7. Ratings of responses to the Children's Apperception Test (a projective measure), observations, and interviews continued to support the finding of more advanced emotional development for group A than for group B children.
The third phase (1981-1985) located 91 subjects, now age 18; this phase included full diagnostic batteries, as well as individual interviews undertaken by the first author. Four independent variables, maternal adequacy, subjects' IQ's, socioeconomic status, and sex, were correlated with 39 dependent variables thought to reflect developmental maturity. Maternal adequacy at age one was found to be