New Reichman University study finds: Babies begin forming expectations of their parents as early as the first year of life

How does a baby learn to understand the world before they even learn to talk? A new study from Reichman University reveals that as early as the first year of life, infants develop expectations about how their parents will respond to crying or distress. A baby who consistently receives calm and comforting responses learns to expect help and develops a sense of security, whereas one who experiences inconsistent responses learns to be less reliant on others and develops a sense of uncertainty.

The study, led by Dr. Tahli Frenkel, a clinical psychologist and senior lecturer at Reichman University’s Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, in collaboration with Dr. Shyly Aptaker Ben-Dori of the Ziama Arkin Infancy Institute of Reichman University and Prof. Naama Atzaba-Poria from the Duet Center at Ben-Gurion University, shows that an infant’s daily experiences with their parent shape how they perceive the world around them — whether as a safe and supportive place or as distant and unpredictable.

The study, published in the scientific journal Attachment & Human Development, followed 72 mothers and their infants, who were observed twice during the infants’ first year of life. When the babies were four months old, natural home interactions were recorded to examine how mothers responded to their infants’ cries — whether by being present and soothing, or by remaining distant. About six months later, when the infants reached ten months of age, they were shown a short puppet show depicting a caregiver teddy bear character responding to an infant's (“baby bear”) cry — once in a supportive and accessible manner, and once in a cold and unresponsive way. The researchers monitored the infants’ reactions, including gaze duration, level of interest, and play preferences, to determine whether they recognized the difference in the caregiver’s response and how it corresponded with their previous experiences at home.

When the infants’ responses in the laboratory were compared with the interactions recorded at home six months earlier, a clear pattern emerged. Infants whose mothers had been observed responding calmly and with emotional availability at home tended to expect the caregiver-bear figure in the experiment to behave similarly — to be responsive and supportive. In contrast, infants who had experienced less consistent or more distant responses at home showed lower expectations and, in some cases, even indifference toward the unresponsive caregiver figure.

Moreover, when the infants were offered to choose whether they preferred to play with either the responsive or the unresponsive caregiver-bear, prior experience of caregiving observed in the infant’s home six months earlier was predictive of the infant's preference. Those whose mothers had been observed responding in a calm and responsive manner preferred to play with the responsive caregiver-bear, whereas those whose mothers had been observed as more distant preferred to play with the unresponsive caregiver-bear.

Taken together, the findings support the notion that infants’ expectations and preferences for parent responsiveness may reflect their early experiences of maternal responsiveness, as experienced by the infant within daily mother–infant interactions during the first year of life.   

These findings provide preliminary empirical evidence that, already in the first year of life, infants create an internal representation of what to expect when they express distress. Dr. Frenkel adds: “The results carry an encouraging message for parents — the first year of life is a particularly significant period, during which daily interactions lay the foundations for a child’s emotional resilience. Consistent, attentive, and supportive responses shape the baby’s sense of security and fundamental trust in the world around them.”