Emotion and Early Interaction

Originally published in 1982, Emotion and Early Interaction is a collection of papers by investigators who had been attempting to integrate emotion and interaction processes in early development. None professed to have all the answers, yet each paper challenges us to question some of our notions about the boundaries between the individual and society. The first part includes chapters on the face-to-face interaction of infants and others during early infancy. These early interactions had become miniature natural laboratories in which many investigators found a wealth of opportunities to study infant emotions and their development. The second part covers play interactions in older infants and toddlers. Here the methods and concepts are different due to the increasing complexity of the infant’s behavior, and the increasing use of linguistic, in addition to non-verbal expressions of emotion. The final part on methodology covers a wide range of issues in the study of early interactions. Today it can be read in its historical context.

Tiffany Field, PhD is on the faculty of Fielding Graduate University and University of Miami /Miller School of Medicine. She is the author of other books including Infancy (1990) and Touch (2014).

Alan Fogel, PhD is a Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an active contributor to research on the development of non-verbal behavior, emotion and communication during infancy for 40 years. He is also a licensed massage therapist, a Rosen Method Bodywork practitioner and Certified Senior Teacher, and the founding editor of the Rosen Method International Journal. His most recent books are Infancy: Infant, Family and Society, 7th Edition (with Daniel Messinger, 2024), Restorative Embodiment and Resilience (2021), and Body Sense: The Science and Practice of Embodied Self-Awareness (2013).