1-066 - Culture, Carrying, and Contact: Developmental Implications of Culturally-Mediated Mother-Infant Physical Contact

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The social context of early development is shaped by culturally-mediated caregiving practices. However, research on infant development is dominated by studies from Western societies where institutionalized medical practices and baby gear limiting contact with caregivers have led to increasingly lower levels of mother-infant physical contact, creating a childrearing context that is unique from a global and historical perspective. Despite known benefits of physical contact, there is a lack of research investigating implications of cultural variation in mother-infant physical contact across development. This symposium explores effects of maternal contact across human ontogeny, analyzing implications of culturally-mediated childrearing practices on emotional development (Paper 1), motor development (Paper 2), and breastfeeding responsiveness (Paper 3), while addressing the broad concern that developmental science is based on studies of Western infants (Discussant). Paper 1 presents longitudinal data on the effect of post-natal skin-to-skin contact on emotional communication in childhood. Paper 2 documents cultural variation in use of devices that limit exploration and contact with caregivers in the U.S. and Tajikistan, while discussing implications for motor development. Paper 3 provides an investigation of culturally-mediated effects of mother-infant physical contact on maternal responsiveness during breastfeeding in the U.S. and Guatemala. The discussant – bringing years of expertise on cultural variation in caregiver-child interaction and social learning in the U.S. and Vanuatu – will discuss the problem with current models of early development being based on infants socialized in a context that is unrepresentative of global mother-infant interaction.

Sub Unit

• Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Chair

• Emily Elysia Little, University of California, San Diego

Discussant

• Cristine H Legare, University of Texas at Austin

Individual Presentations

• Effect of Prior Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact on Mothers’ and School-Age Children’s Emotional Communication - Presenting Author: Ann Bigelow, St. Francis Xavier University; Michelle Power, St. Francis Xavier University; Carolyn Taylor, St. Francis Xavier University

• It’s Bound to Make a Difference: Cross-Cultural Investigation of Childrearing Practices - Presenting Author: Lana Karasik, CUNY Staten Island; Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda, New York University, Department of Applied Psychology; Karen E. Adolph, New York University, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience

• The Effect of Culturally-Mediated Mother-Infant Physical Contact on Breastfeeding Responsiveness - Presenting Author: Emily Elysia Little, University of California, San Diego; Leslie Carver, Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego; Cristine H Legare, University of Texas at Austin