A new study from Reichman University (Israel) found thatalready during the first year of life, babies form expectations about how adults will respond to their stress or crying. Regular calm and supportive behavior from the mother leads to the child expecting help and developing a sense of security. Inconsistent or detached reactions, on the contrary, create mistrust in the infant and reduce the expectation of support.

The work was published in the journal Attachment & Human Development. The study involved 72 mothers and their children. Observations were carried out twice – at the age of four and ten months.

When the babies were four months old, the researchers recorded natural interactions at home: how mothers responded to crying by comforting the child or maintaining distance. Six months later, the children were invited to the laboratory, where they were shown a puppet scene: the plush “teacher” reacted softly and supportively one time, and coldly and indifferently the other time. The scientists assessed gaze duration, interest, and which figurine the infants wanted to play with.

The results were consistent. Children who received calm and open support at 4 months expected the same responsiveness from the character at 10 months and preferred to play with the “kind” bear. Infants who experienced distant reactions at home were likely to show indifference and choose an unresponsive caregiver.

The researchers note that these preferences reflectformation of early internal models of attachment. How parents react to infant stress in the first months of life determines its basica view of the world as reliable and supportive or, on the contrary, unpredictable.

Dr. Tali Frankel, who led the study, emphasizes that the first year of life is a critical period when consistent and attentive parental responsiveness helps the child develop emotional stability and fundamental trust in the world around him.