Eighty-three low-income Mexican-heritage children (44 girls) and their mothers participated in this research. Children were observed with alternative caregivers at 14, 24, and 36 months of age using the Attachment Q-Set. Most children received regular care from infancy through preschool from relatives and childcare providers. Children had high…

Compares the behavior of mothers to their own infants at three- to four- and nine- to 10-months of age in five of the societies described in previous chapters: Gusii of Kenya, Yucatec Mayan of Mexico, Italian, Swedish, and suburban Bostonian. Reveals differences between agrarian and urban-industrial societies, as well as culture-specific patterns…

Although the Yucatec pattern of child care conforms on the whole to the pattern seen in other agrarian societies, it is currently becoming destabilized as the society becomes more modern. Some of the developing customs, such as bottle-feeding, are maladaptive, at least in the short run. (RH)

This study considered three hypotheses: (1) cultures differ in the extent to which they represent infants as capable of vocal communication; (2) mothers' models of infant communication are influenced by their experiences in school; and (3) mothers' models of infant communication affect maternal responsiveness during the first 6 months of the…

One study compared maternal-infant interactions in two samples: Gusii mothers in Kenya and suburban Boston mothers. A second study examined the relationship between mother-infant interaction and maternal educational attainment in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Found that maternal responsiveness was influenced by the mother's cultural background and school…