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Scholarly Works (5 results)

  • Thesis
  • Peer Reviewed
UC San Diego Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2017)

This dissertation tests the proposal that mother-infant physical contact facilitates increased maternal responsiveness to infants' cues during both breastfeeding and non-feeding interaction, taking into account the potential contribution of underlying beliefs about responsiveness. These studies demonstrate for the first time that immediate mother-infant physical contact predicts breastfeeding in response to early hunger cues and causes mothers to respond more contingently to infants' vocalizations.

In Chapter 1, responses to an at-home feeding log demonstrate that mother-infant physical contact predicts increased responsiveness to infant hunger cues when initiating feeding and that maternal beliefs predict ending feeding in response to infants' satiation cues. Measures of maternal behavior during an in-lab breastfeeding session show that maternal beliefs about responsiveness predict individual variation in responsiveness to infants' cues during feeding.

In Chapter 2, in-lab measures of maternal responsiveness during a non-feeding dyadic play interaction show that experience with physical contact predicts increased responsiveness to infants' facial cues and questionnaire data shows that experience with physical contact is associated with a particular set of beliefs about responsiveness. Comparisons of maternal behavior during a within-subject manipulation of physical contact show that responsiveness to infant vocalizations increases during mother-infant physical contact, demonstrating experimentally that physical contact has an immediate effect on maternal responsiveness.

These data make a novel contribution to our understanding of maternal responsiveness and challenge the current models of how responsiveness is tested, as responsiveness during feeding has been neglected as a central component of the infant's early learning environment. Given the established importance of maternal responsiveness for social learning, understanding what drives maternal responsiveness is vital to the broader goal of understanding how infant outcomes are shaped by the early social environment.

    Cover page: Culture, Carrying, and Communication: The Role of Mother-Infant Physical Contact in Maternal Responsiveness
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2018)
    Responsive feeding-initiating feeding in response to early hunger cues-supports the physiology of lactation and the development of infant feeding abilities, yet there is a dearth of research examining what predicts responsive feeding. In non-Western proximal care cultures, there is an association between responsive feeding and mother⁻infant physical contact, but this has not been investigated within Western populations. In two studies, we tested whether mother⁻infant physical contact predicted feeding in response to early hunger cues versus feeding on a schedule or after signs of distress among U.S. breastfeeding mothers. With an online questionnaire in Study 1 (n = 626), physical contact with infants (via co-sleeping and babywearing) predicted increased likelihood of self-reported responsive feeding. Mothers who reported responsive feeding were more likely to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, breastfeed more frequently throughout the day, and had a longer planned breastfeeding duration than mothers who reported feeding on a schedule or after signs of infant distress. In Study 2 (n = 96), a three-day feeding log showed that mother⁻infant physical contact predicted feeding in response to early hunger cues but mother⁻infant proximity (without physical contact) did not. In sum, our results demonstrate that physical contact with infants may shape breastfeeding behavior among U.S. mothers, highlighting a connection between social interaction and infant nutrition that warrants further investigation.
      Cover page: Mother–Infant Physical Contact Predicts Responsive Feeding among U.S. Breastfeeding Mothers
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2016)
      Two studies examined the extent to which the type of triadic interaction pervasive in Western populations (i.e., shared visual attention and ostensive pedagogical cues) was representative of infant-caregiver object exploration in a non-Western indigenous community. Caregivers in the United States and Vanuatu interacted with infants and a novel object for 3 min. In Study 1 (N = 116, Mage  = 29.05), Ni-Van caregivers used more physical triadic engagement and U.S. caregivers used more visual triadic engagement. In Study 2 (N = 80, Mage  = 29.91), U.S. caregivers were more likely than Ni-Van caregivers to transmit an action and to use visual cues while interacting with their child. These studies demonstrate that the Western model of early social learning is not universal.
        Cover page: Cultural Variation in Triadic Infant–Caregiver Object Exploration
        • Article
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2023)
        INTRODUCTION: Remote screening for cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimers disease (AD) has grown in importance with the expected rise in prevalence of AD in an aging population and with new potential treatment options. METHODS: The Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) and new telephone adaptation of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) were administered to participants independently classified through in-person clinical evaluation as cognitively normal (CN; n = 167), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n = 25), or dementia (n = 23). Cerebrospinal fluid AD biomarkers were measured (n = 79). RESULTS: TICS and T-MoCA were highly correlated (r = 0.787; P < 0.001): groups differed on both (CN
          Cover page: Comparison of the telephone-Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA) and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) as screening tests for early Alzheimers disease.
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC San Diego Previously Published Works (2020)

          Background

          Growing awareness of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has prompted a demand for quick and effective ways to screen for memory loss and cognitive decline in large numbers of individuals in the community. Periodic Memory Screening Day events provide free, brief cognitive screening aimed at those 65 years and older, and can serve as an opportunity to gauge participants' attitudes towards AD research and recruit them into ongoing research projects.

          Methods

          Over 6 single-day events in 2 years, more than 574 individuals were individually screened using the MoCA and a story recall task (immediate and delayed), given feedback about their performance, and introduced to AD research and opportunities to participate.

          Results

          Screening classified 297 individuals (52.0%) as having "No Decline," 192 (33.6%) as "Possible decline," and 82 (14.4%) as "Likely decline." Those with "Likely decline" were older and less educated, had more memory concerns, were more likely to be men, and were less likely to have a positive family history of dementia than those with "No Decline." Subsequent validation of screening procedures against a full clinical evaluation showed 72% classification accuracy with a skew towards over-calling Possible and Likely decline and thereby guiding questionable individuals to a more thorough evaluation. Of those screened, 378 (66%) agreed to additional research and consented to being listed in a research registry, and a majority (70-85%) of those consenting reported they were amenable to various AD research procedures including lumbar puncture, MRI, and autopsy. Overall, 19.1% of those screened met inclusion criteria for ongoing studies and were successfully recruited into AD research.

          Conclusions

          Conducting a few concentrated community memory screening events each year may help meet the public's demand for brief assessment of memory concerns and can be a relatively effective and efficient recruitment strategy for AD research.
            Cover page: Community memory screening as a strategy for recruiting older adults into Alzheimer’s disease research
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