book chapter

Does culture appreciably affect patterns of infant behavior?

Journal of social psychology12 • Published In 1940 • Pages: 305-317

By: Wayne, Dennis.

Abstract
The author, who was with the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia at the time he made this study, offers data to corroborate the view that the characteristics of infancy are universal and that culture overlays of modifies a more basic substratum of behavior. Specifically, he studied the behavior of forty-one Navajo and Hopi babies up to one year of age, and compared it with that of a similar group of White American infants. He found that most of the outward differences in the Indian childrens' behavior, such as crying only infrequently, were due to variations in child care rather than a more basic cause. Of particular interest is his examination of the effect of the cradleboard: contrary to popular belief, he found that it did not retard the infant's motor development.
Subjects
Comparative evidence
Infant care
Child care
Development and maturation
Cleanliness training
culture
Navajo
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Psychologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Katchen S. Coley ; 1951
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1939
Coverage Place
Arizona and New Mexico, United States
Notes
Dennis Wayne
Numbers underlined refer to case histories found on pages 311-314, category 856
This document consists of excerpts
Includes bibliographical references (p. 316-317)
LCSH
Navajo Indians