Karasik Lana B, Tamis-LeMonda Catherine S, Adolph Karen E, Bornstein Marc H
College of Staten Island and Graduate Center, City University of New York.
New York University.
J Cross Cult Psychol. 2015 Sep;46(8):1023-1038. doi: 10.1177/0022022115593803. Epub 2015 Jul 13.
Motor development-traditionally described in terms of age-related stages-is typically studied in the laboratory with participants of Western European descent. Cross-cultural studies typically focus on group differences in age-related stages relative to Western norms. We adopted a less traditional approach: We observed 5-month-olds and their mothers from six cultural groups around the world during one hour at home while they engaged in natural daily activities. We examined group differences in infants' sitting proficiency, everyday opportunities to practice sitting, the surfaces on which sitting took place, and mothers' proximity to sitting infants. Infants had opportunities to practice sitting in varied contexts-including ground, infant chairs, and raised surfaces. Proficiency varied considerably within and between cultural groups: 64% of the sample sat only with support from mother or furniture and 36% sat independently. Some infants sat unsupported for 20+ minutes, in some cases so securely that mothers moved beyond arms' reach of their infants even while infants sat on raised surfaces. Our observations of infant sitting across cultures provide new insights into the striking range of ability, varied opportunities for practice, and contextual factors that influence the proficiency of infant motor skills.
运动发育——传统上是根据与年龄相关的阶段来描述的——通常是在实验室里对西欧血统的参与者进行研究。跨文化研究通常关注与西方标准相比，在与年龄相关的阶段上的群体差异。我们采用了一种不太传统的方法：我们观察了来自世界各地六个文化群体的5个月大婴儿及其母亲，他们在家中进行自然日常活动的一小时内。我们研究了婴儿坐姿熟练程度、日常练习坐姿的机会、坐姿发生的表面以及母亲与坐着的婴儿的距离方面的群体差异。婴儿有机会在各种环境中练习坐姿——包括地面、婴儿椅和凸起的表面。文化群体内部和之间的熟练程度差异很大：64%的样本仅在母亲或家具的支撑下坐着，36%的样本能独立坐着。一些婴儿无需支撑就能坐20多分钟，在某些情况下非常稳，以至于母亲甚至会走到婴儿够不着的地方，即使婴儿坐在凸起的表面上。我们对不同文化中婴儿坐姿的观察为婴儿运动技能熟练程度所涉及的显著能力范围、多样的练习机会以及影响因素提供了新的见解。
