ABSTRACT
At birth twins behave just like ordinary babies would. When a social dimension was introduced to their lives, together with demands for food, and other urgent bodily needs, they also made requests of a different kind (Stern 1974, 1977, 1985; Trevarthen 1976, 1979; Schaffer 1977; DeCasper and Fifer 1980; DeCasper and Prescott 1984; Schore 1994). They responded to being cuddled, talked to, stroked, and to being rocked and sung lullabies. They were also acutely sensitive to any individual attention aimed directly at them (see Figure 7.1). Their gaze tended to focus on the face of the caregiver (Johnson and Morton 1991). They cooed, or brightened up only if someone looked, talked, gestured, or smiled at them in particular. The only individuals they seemed to be utterly disinterested in were other babies and, specifically, their co-twin. Twins seemed very ‘Darwinian’ and ‘selfish’: their interest and attention was solely directed towards those who could offer help. Newborn babies are particularly attracted to faces (Morton and Johnson 1991; Johnson 1994). It may well be that being small, or for some other distinctive factor, the faces of other babies do not possess those characteristics which normally attract their attention (Dubowitz et al. 1980; Banks and Salapatek 1983; Atkinson 1984; Boothe 1988; Johnson 1990; Tyschen 1994; Daw 1995; Eliot 1999).
