Individual Differences In Physical And Affective Functio

Child Health And Human Development

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the description of cultural differences in early interaction. In each case, we conducted extended observations to ensure the reliable measurement of individual differences. To explore further the effects of culture and context on early interactions, we are conducting comparable day-long observations of parents and infants in Quebec, Germany, the Central African Republic, Congo, Costa Rica, and Colombia as well as in African American, Caribbean American, and Euro-American families in the United States. Extended observations of two- to five-year-old Bofi infants whose families either lived in villages or pursued a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle revealed that, contrary to widespread beliefs, weaning was seldom a time of parent-offspring conflict. In both groups, children initiated weaning as they began to eat a variety of foodstuffs, although villagers were more likely to terminate breastfeeding at a predetermined time, whereas foragers let the children themselves set the pace. Weaning was usually associated with pregnancy, and the children's reactions varied depending on the availability of additional care providers as well as on maternal sensitivity. Data collection is in progress.