The Ecology of Mother-Infant Interaction in Euro-American and Immigrant Central American Families Living in the United States
- 1 February 1997
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in International Journal of Behavioral Development
- Vol. 20 (2), 207-217
- https://doi.org/10.1080/016502597385298
Abstract
In an attempt to explore cultural and subcultural similarities and variations in the patterns of child care, two culturally and economically distinct groups were studied. Twenty-one 3-month-old infants had well-educated Euro-American mothers and another 17 had recently migrated Central American mothers. Observations of parent-infant interaction and behaviour were conducted at home throughout the day to ensure coverage of complete 12-hour cycles. Descriptive analyses revealed remarkable similarities and few differences in the everyday experiences of infants in these two diverse groups. Both groups of mothers spent most of their time playing with, feeding, or caring for their infants. Fathers spent little time with their infants during the day but their presence affected the amount of time spent in various contexts, with significantly less object play occurring when the fathers were present. Mother and infant vocalisations and mutual attention occurred more frequently during social interaction and caretaking than in bouts of feeding. These descriptive profiles expand our basic understanding of infants’ everyday experiences in diverse subcultural groups.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cultural and educational variations in maternal responsiveness.Developmental Psychology, 1992
- Mother and Infant Activity and Interaction in France and in the United States: A Comparative StudyInternational Journal of Behavioral Development, 1991
- Maternal behavior to infants in five culturesNew Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 1988
- The Developmental Niche: A Conceptualization at the Interface of Child and CultureInternational Journal of Behavioral Development, 1986
- The Pennsylvania Infant and Family Development Project, I: Stability and Change in Mother-Infant and Father-Infant Interaction in a Family Setting at One, Three, and Nine MonthsChild Development, 1984
- Infant social cognition and “second-order” effectsInfant Behavior and Development, 1978
- Maternal language in infancy.Developmental Psychology, 1976
- Infant Development in Lower-Class American FamiliesHuman Development, 1972