ABSTRACT
Classical laboratory studies in which maternal abusive behavior was experimentally induced by atypical rearing procedures have reported that physical abuse of the infant is framed in a broader set of negative maternal responses ranging from avoidance through physical rejection to punishment. Typically, however, the manipulations employed in these studies have been undoubtedly extreme (e.g. total or partial social isolation), and the resulting deficiencies pervasive (e.g. hyperaggression and general social incompetence). Studies of inadequate mothering occurring under more ecologically valid conditions have drawn a different picture of the quality of mothering in abusive monkey mothers.
