The Effects of Preparing Two-Year-Olds for Brief Separations from Their Mothers

ADAMS, RODERICK E., JR., and PASSMAN, RICHARD H. The Effects of Preparing Two-Year-Olds for Brief Separations from Their Mothers. CHILD Development, 1981, 52, 1068-1070. Mothers differ in the strategies they use to prepare their children for upcoming brief separations. To investigate the effects of the preparation's length, 40 mothers provided either brief (10 sec) or somewhat repetitious (70 sec) information about the separation before leaving their 2-yearold child with an unfamiliar person in a playroom. Children given brief preparations remained in the room longer and played more with toys than did children receiving extended preparations. The findings demonstate that all attempts to prepare children for an imminent separation are not equivalent. Subtle factors involved in a preparation appear to influence its effectiveness.