The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the label prenatally exposed to cocaine has an effect on how early intervention personnel rate the behavior of toddlers. One hundred seventy-nine subjects were shown videotape segments of two 24-month-old male children. One had been exposed prenatally to cocaine, the other had not. The subjects were randomly divided among three conditions. In one condition subjects were told that both children were cocaine-exposed; in a second condition they were told that neither was cocaine-exposed, and in a third condition they were told that one child was exposed and that the other child was not After viewing each segment subjects were asked to rate each child, using a rating scale developed for this study. It was hypothesized that children would be rated more favorably when subjects were told that they were not cocaine-exposed and less favorably when they were told that they were exposed. The hypothesis was upheld. Results are discussed within the context of other literature pointing to the need for more data concerning the long-term effects of prenatal cocaine exposure. Caution is suggested in the use of the label cocaine-exposed, especially in light of the results of this study.
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