The Ecology of Mother-Infant Interaction in Euro-American and Immigrant Central American Families Living in the United States

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.