Infancy
Volume 13, Issue 4, 2008, Pages 338-365

Mother-infant person- and object-directed interactions in latino immigrant families: A comparative approach (Article)

Cote L.R. , Bornstein M.H.* , Haynes O.M. , Bakeman R.
  • a Department of Health and Human Services, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
  • b Department of Health and Human Services, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
  • c Department of Health and Human Services, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
  • d Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States

Abstract

Cultural variation in durations, relations, and contingencies of mother-infant person- and object-directed behaviors were examined for 121 nonmigrant Latino mother-infant dyads in South America, Latina immigrants from South America and their infants living in the United States, and European American mother-infant dyads. Nonmigrant Latina mothers and infants engaged in person-directed behaviors longer than Latino immigrant or European American mothers and infants. Mother and infant person-directed behaviors were positively related; mother and infant object-related behaviors were related for some cultural groups but not others. Nearly all mother and infant behaviors were mutually contingent. Mothers were more responsive to infants' behaviors than infants were to mothers. Some cultural differences in responsiveness emerged. Immigrant status has a differentiated role in mother-infant interactions.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

cultural anthropology immigrant human object relation controlled study Maternal Behavior European American child behavior United States social status Hispanic male social belief female South America Infant Article adult human experiment normal human mother child relation social behavior
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-48449087031&doi=10.1080%2f15250000802189386&partnerID=40&md5=6809c36eea78028b60ee896e32ad38f8
DOI: 10.1080/15250000802189386
ISSN: 15250008
Cited by: 11
Original Language: English