Anger (14, 20, 24, 36 months)

Following the completion of the entry, two anger eliciting probes were administered to each twin independently. The measurement and restraint probe always preceded the toy removal. One child accompanied the mother and an examiner to a bedroom which contained a door which could be closed so that the children would not be able to hear each other or the other examiner’s instructions. The child who was with his/her mother was laid on his/her back on the floor with mom seated at the child’s head; a camera, positioned earlier, was two feet away from the child recording the procedure. Mothers were told on the phone to try very hard to speak only to the examiner and to refrain from touching, smiling or reassuring their children during this procedure. Immediately after placing the child on the floor, the examiner, seated next to the child, stretched a measuring tape from the top of the child’s head to his/her foot, and called out the measurement for the camera. Then the examiner immediately placed a hand on the child’s abdomen and said, “Now, (child’s name), lie still.” The restraint lasted a maximum of three minutes and was later coded for latency to protest as well as the intensity and manner of any protest. All restraints ended early if the child struggled persistently against the examiner’s hand, accompanied by a high degree of distress or if the mother requested the procedure be ended.

After the measurement/restraint probe, each child went into the living room with the other examiner to complete the toy removal procedure. At 14 and 20 months of age, an air pressure manipulative toy was used for this procedure. At 24 months a push button barn with animal sounds and moving figures was used, and at 36 months, a hexagonal-shaped box with color coded doors, keys and animals was used for toy removal. Each child was seated on the floor four feet from and facing a video camera. A bag was placed on the floor between the child and the camera and the examiner took the toy out of the bag and allowed one minute for the child to approach the toy spontaneously. After one minute, the examiner sat with the child and at first encouraged the child to play and then modeled how to use the toy. When the child had been intently involved with the toy for two minutes (using both hands, vocalizing, or drooling, at 14 months) the examiner abruptly removed the toy and said, “(Child’s name), I have to put this away now.” The toy was put into the bag, zippered closed and the bag was placed, again, one-halfway between the child and the camera, but well within the child’s reach. The examiner then stepped behind the camera to film the child’s reaction for the next two minutes. If a child showed great distress or left the room before the two minutes, the procedure ended early.