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Regression Periods in Infancy: A Case Study from Catalonia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Marta Sadurní  and
Carlos Rostan
Marta Sadurní*
Affiliation:
University of Girona
Carlos Rostan
Affiliation:
University of Girona
*
Correspondence concerning this article or requests for a complete description of the instruments used should be addressed to Dra. Marta Sadurní, Departamento de Psicologia. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación.Universidad de Girona. Emilio Grahit, 77. 1007 Girona (Spain). E-mail: msadurni@zeus.udg.es
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Abstract

Based on Rijt-Plooij and Plooij's (1992) research on emergence of regression periods in the first two years of life, the presence of such periods in a group of 18 babies (10 boys and 8 girls, aged between 3 weeks and 14 months) from a Catalonian population was analyzed. The measurements were a questionnaire filled in by the infants' mothers, a semi-structured weekly tape-recorded interview, and observations in their homes. The procedure and the instruments used in the project follow those proposed by Rijt-Plooij and Plooij. Our results confirm the existence of the regression periods in the first year of children's life. Inter-coder agreement for trained coders was 78.2% and within-coder agreement was 90.1 %. In the discussion, the possible meaning and relevance of regression periods in order to understand development from a psychobiological and social framework is commented upon.

Nuestro trabajo estudia los periodos de regresión en la infancia. A partir del trabajo de investigación de Rijt-Plooij y Plooij (1992) sobre la emergencia de periodos de regresión en los dos primeros años de vida, se analizó la presencia de estos periodos en un grupo de 18 niños (10 niños y 8 niñas) de una población catalana. La edad de los niños estaba comprendida entre las 3 semanas y los 14 meses. Los instrumentos de recogida de información fueron un cuestionario respondido por la madre del bebé, una entrevista semi-estructurada registrada en grabadora y observaciones realizadas en casa de los sujetos. El procedimiento y los instrumentos usados en el proyecto siguen los propuestos por Rijt- Ploij y Plooij en su investigación original. Nuestros resultados confirman la existencia de periodos de regresión en el primer año de vida infantil. La concordancia entre observadores independientes entrenados fue del 78,2% y la intraobservador fue del 90,1%. Se comenta el significado que pueden tener los periodos de regresión y su interés para avanzar en la comprensión del desarrollo en un marco psicobiológico y social.

Keywords

regression periodschild developmentbrain system developmentPeriodos de regresióndesarrollo infantildesarrollo del sistema cerebral
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , May 2002 , pp. 36 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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