Maternal and Infant Behavior in Japan and America

Abstract

Maternal and infant behaviors were compared for 30 American and 52 Japanese mother-infant dyads from middle-class homes in Japan and America. The major differences in caretaker behavior were (1) the Japanese mother spent more time being with or in the presence of her baby than the American mother, and (2) the American mother was more active in positioning the body of the infant. Infant behaviors between the two cultures were strikingly similar. Significant differences were found in sucking behavior, with the American babies displaying more than the Japanese babies. Across cultures male babies were awake more and received more rocking. Several culture-by-sex interactions were found. Japanese males displayed significantly higher unhappy vocal and total vocal behavior than Japanese females, but the American males displayed significantly lower total vocal behavior than the American females. Comparisons were made with findings from a study conducted in 1969. The findings highlight the importance of cultural context in investigating early behaviors.