Stern M, Hildebrandt K A
Child Dev. 1986 Apr;57(2):308-15. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1986.tb00030.x.
The possibility that the self-fulfilling prophecy process can adversely affect the caregiving environment of premature infants was explored in this study. A portion of this process was investigated experimentally by assessing cognitive and behavioral reactions of 27 mothers to unfamiliar full-term infants who were labeled either full-term or premature. Infants who were described as premature were touched less and given a more immature toy to play with, were rated as smaller, finer-featured, and less cute, and were liked less than infants who were labeled full-term. In turn, infants labeled premature were less active during the interaction than infants labeled full-term. College students who later observed the videotapes made of the mother-infant interactions were able to accurately guess which label was assigned to the infants. The results of this study further support the existence of a prematurity stereotype and the impact of expectations on perceptions and behavior.
本研究探讨了自我实现预言过程对早产儿护理环境产生不利影响的可能性。通过评估27位母亲对被标记为足月儿或早产儿的陌生足月儿的认知和行为反应，对这一过程的一部分进行了实验研究。被描述为早产儿的婴儿被触摸的次数更少，被给予一个更不成熟的玩具玩耍，被评定为体型更小、五官更精致、更不可爱，并且比被标记为足月儿的婴儿更不受喜爱。相应地，被标记为早产儿的婴儿在互动过程中比被标记为足月儿的婴儿活跃度更低。后来观看母婴互动录像带的大学生能够准确猜出给婴儿分配的是哪个标签。本研究结果进一步支持了早产刻板印象的存在以及期望对认知和行为的影响。
