| Abstract: | Six children were observed longitudinally in day-care centres between the ages of 5 months and 3 years. The present analysis deals with what we have called ‘propping processes’, the processes by means of which infants ‘learn’ or rely on their dependencies to affectively and cognitively transform their experience. The development of propping processes is studied relative to two variables: the quality of the mother–child relationship (assessed via interviews with the mothers) and the presence or absence of the mother as a caregiver at the day-care centre (three children in each case). The results presented here are limited to leaning on two particular props: an observer and one's own body. As hypothesized, the results showed that (1) in order for leaning to develop into propping, the infant must first construct the link between contact and distance in relationships with objects; and (2) the development of propping depends on the quality of the mother–child relationship and the conditions under which it evolves. |
