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Abbott, Susan (U Kentucky) 'YOU GIVE 'EM LOTS OF LOVE AND USE THE FLAT OF YOUR HAND': PATTERNS OF CHILD REARING IN THE MOUNTAINS
Although brief descriptions of child rearing patterns and practices can be gleaned from published anthropological and sociological community studies carried out in the Appalachian region as well as occasional articles in journals, no published book in the past twenty-five years has taken as its central problem patterns of child rearing. Looff's well-known Appalachia's Children (1971) is based on a clinical population of troubled children in troubled families, and although it provides insights into the patterning of pathology afflicting rural children from often poor families at the time it was written, it does not provide baseline data on child rearing in normal families in the communities where the University of Kentucky clinics were operating in the 1960s. This paper introduces new data on mothers' reports of their child rearing beliefs and practices collected over a six month period in the late 1980s in open-ended interviews about how they reared one of their children--half talked about a son and half about a daughter. About one third of the mothers were middle class or upper middle class. These mothers' reported child rearing beliefs and practices are analyzed using the concepts of children's "learning environments" (B Whiting and C Edwards, Different Worlds of Childhood, 1988), the "developmental niche" (S Harkness and CM Super, "Parental Ethnotheories in Action," 1992), and the "ecocultural niche" (R Gallimore, T Weisner, S Kaufman and L Bernheimer, "The Social Construction of Ecocultural Niches: Family Accommodation of Developmentally Delayed Children," 1989). This paper is part of a book currently in preparation on child rearing in the region.
Adler, Leonore Loeb, S Patricia Clark (Molloy C), Florence L Denmark (Pace U), Steven Salbod (Pace U), Ramadan A Ahmed (U Cairo), TaeLyon Kim (Ewha Women's U), and Sumeetha S DeSilva (S Illinois-Edwardsville) A CROSS-CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE ON INDIVIDUAL ATTITUDES TOWARD LIVING AND DYING
The present questionnaire study reports the results of individuals' attitudes toward living and dying. The cross-cultural comparisons center on four countries around the globe; these include Kuwait (prewar), Korea, Sri Lanka, and the USA. In each country men and women are categorized by age (young, middle age, and old age) and by religion. Different themes are analyzed that focus on such topics as to persons' loneliness, or do they have somebody to talk to. Do they worry about getting a terminal illness, and how do they feel about death and dying? The results of the analyses provide significant differences and interesting insights of individual attitudes.
Barry, Herbert, III (U Pittsburgh) SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS OF HIGHLY OBEDIENT CHILDREN
Children are trained to be obedient more strongly and effectively in some societies than in contemporary United States. Ratings of child training in the standard sample of 186 societies include obedience training and incorporation in adult life. Children are usually highly obedient in societies where adult activities exclude children if in addition adult males have dominant status or the local community is fragmented. Dominant status of adult males is indicated by patrilineal descent, technological specialization, and extensive scope of government. A fragmented local community is indicated by absence of an adolescent initiation ceremony for boys and girls.
Beizer, Laura (UT-San Antonio), Leticia De Los Santos (UT-San Antonio) SIGNS OF SYMBOLS: SOCIO- CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO INFANTS' EMERGING SYMBOL USE IN PLAY AND COMMUNICATIVE CONTEXTS
We know less about how infants initially realize that one act, vocalization, or object can be used symbolically to represent something different than that they do begin to use symbols in their gestures, first words, and pretend play during their second year. In this presentation, we will discuss data from three studies regarding the dawning and early development of infants' symbolic capacities in the context of everyday routines with parents and suggest hypotheses regarding the contributions of social, cultural, and socio- economic factors to these routines and their impact on infants' first symbol use.
Bhavnagri, Navaz (Wayne S) A CASE STUDY OF EAST INDIAN INFANCY
This presentation will examine the social interactions of all caregivers of the infant as influenced by the physical and social ecology of the household. A brief ethnography of an East Indian village will be illustrated with slides, focusing on physical, cultural, religious, and social variables that directly and indirectly influence the infant's interaction with his caregivers. Additionally, a connection between the organization of the infant's immediate dwelling and the caregivers' social interactions during feeding, sleeping, bathing, and playing will be discussed.
Brusi-Figueroa, Rima (Cornell U), Judith L Gibbons (St Louis U), Mario Nunez Molina (U Puerto Rico Mayaguez), Sherri L Fisher (St Louis U) EFFECTS OF GENDER AND SCHOOL CONTEXT ON QUALITIES OF THE IDEAL PERSON VALUED BY PUERTO RICAN ADOLESCENTS
Young adolescents (419, ages 11-16) attending public or private schools in Puerto Rico rated 40 characteristics of the ideal man or woman. Girls, more than boys, endorsed qualities loading on the factor "Integrity," Boys rating the ideal man and boys attending private schools rated integrity as relatively less important. "Attractiveness" was rated as more important for the opposite- than for the same-sex ideal. "Teenage interests" were rated as most important by boys describing the ideal man. These findings augment evidence that, in a wide variety of cultural settings, girls' and boys' ideas about gender diverge during adolescence.
Chick, Garry (U Illinois-Champaign) FOUR SOUTHWESTERN MEN: A STUDY IN THE CONTENT OF CULTURE
During the summers of 1949, 1951, and 1952, John M Roberts surveyed the informational control with respect to their own cultures of a Navajo, a Zuni, a Spanish-American, and a Mormon. He delineated five different levels of control: (1) personal control; (2) instrumental control; (3) artifactual control; (4) general control; and (5) no control. From this research, Roberts intended to produce a monograph, to be titled Four Southwestern Men, that would further his nascent theory of culture as an information economy. Unfortunately, he never completed the project. In this paper I will describe the project and report on my progress in trying to complete the monograph.
Divale, William (York C/CUNY) DEVELOPING CROSS- CULTURAL MENTAL ILLNESS CLASSIFICATIONS FROM SYMPTOMS
Analysis of the literature describing mental illness in 136 societies from the Standard Cross- Cultural Sample produced fifty-five different mental illness symptoms that occur with some frequency. In an attempt to cluster the symptoms into illness types, 130 psychologist members of the Society for Cross-Cultural Research were asked to pile sort the symptoms into related clusters. Thirty members responded and the pile sorted symptoms were subjected to cluster analysis using the TABU search technique. The best fit appears with the 55 symptoms reduced to 16 symptom clusters. These clusters will be used to develop cross-cultural or holocultural scales of different illnesses.
Divale, William (York C/CUNY), N Abrams (York C/CUNY), J Barzola (York C/CUNY), E Harris (York C/CUNY), FM Henry (York C/CUNY) SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS OF CHILDREN AND SEXUAL ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES
New measurements on sleeping arrangements for infants and children, and adolescents and teenagers using 136 societies for the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample are presented. Reliability is tested by comparing our sleeping variables with similar measures by Frayser (1988) and Barry and Paxson (1971). A hypothesis that societies with matrilocal residence should have greater sex segregation in sleeping for children than patrilocal societies is tested. Additional findings were that distance from the mother in sleeping affects the age at which clothing is worn, which gender initiates premarital sex, and the frequency of rape. Sexual segregation in sleeping also affects beliefs that sex is dangerous, and the frequency of homosexuality and impotence.
Drout, Cheryl E (SUNY-Fredonia), Umiko Kataoka (SUNY-Fredonia) JAPANESE AND AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS OF THE 1995 RAPEOF AN OKINAWAN GIRL
Two hundred and thirty-three (117 Japanese and 116 American) college students participated in the study. A 2 (Nationality) X 2 (Gender) X 2 (Condition) design was used to examine variations in perceptions of a case of rape. The 1995 rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by 3 American servicemen was chosen because it drew international attention and created a rift in American-Japanese military cooperation. Subjects in one condition were asked to read a scenario that outlined the Okinawan case. Subjects in another condition were asked to read a fictional (unknown to the subjects) scenario which depicted the identical case set on American soil and involving the rape of an American girl. Analysis of variance resulted in significant effects for all 3 factors on some dependent measures with nationality effects most prominent. For example, Japanese subjects perceived the behavior of the American servicemen to be more acceptable to Americans than American subjects judged it to be.
Edwards, Carolyn (U Kentucky) WHAT IS CULTURALLY UNIVERSAL AND WHAT IS CULTURALLY SPECIFIC IN EARLY MOTHER-INFANT COMMUNICATION?
Recent years have seen the accumulation of a solid corpus of data concerning early mother-infant communication patterns in diverse cultural contexts. Some theorists feel this constitutes strong evidence for the non-universality of dyadic "protolanguage" and face-to-face vocal communication during the first months of life. But the way in which other communicative modalities (especially touch and movement) can be part of interactive dialogue has not been adequately addressed, nor whether protolanguage is absent, or simply less prominent. This paper will consider the arguments and evidence and the implications of different perspectives for early social and linguistic development.
Ember, Melvin (Human Relations Area Files), Carol R Ember (Human Relations Area Files), Robert L Munroe (Pitzer C), Ruth H Munroe (Pitzer C), and Stephen Winters (Ohio State U) PREDICTING THE AMOUNT OF CONSONANT-VOWEL (C-V) ALTERNATION IN A LANGUAGE: NEW CROSS-LANGUAGE RESULTS
In a paper published in Cross-Cultural Research in February 1996, Munroe, Munroe, and Winters presented evidence from the HRAF Probability Sample consistent with their theory that warm climates (in the absence of literacy) favor phonetically contrastive speech (high C-V alternation) to facilitate communications in the out-of-doors. An alternative but not mutually exclusive theory is that high C-V alternation is likely if babies are held for much of the day and are thereby exposed to the regular rhythm of the human heart (recall Barbara Ayres' theory and evidence that a preference for regular rhythm in music is likely with a lot of baby- holding). Here we present evidence from multivariate analyses that is consistent with the suggestion that baby-holding is an important predictor, indeed the strongest predictor, of the cross-language variation in C-V scores.
Farver, Jo Ann (USC) CONTEXTUAL EFFECTS ON YOUNG CHILDREN'S SOCIAL AND PLAY BEHAVIOR
Using an activity setting analysis, this presentation will discuss how cultural and contextual factors influence children's early learning environments by shaping their daily activities, skills, and behaviors. Examples from recent research on Korean-, Anglo-, and Mexican-American preschoolers' social interaction and play behavior will be provided to examine links between children's everyday experiences and varied developmental outcomes.
Farver, Jo Ann (USC) and Carolyn Edwards (U Kentucky) CURRENT ISSUES IN THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (session abstract)
In recent years, developmental psychologists and educators have become increasingly interested in the development and organization of children's early patterns of social behavior in everyday life. The underlying assumption of this approach is that social development relies in critical ways on children's participation in the activities and practices in the community. This symposium will examine this premise by discussing children's everyday activities with particular attention to the role of cultural and contextual influences on children's social, symbolic, and linguistic development. Paper one introduces the symposium, examines contextual influences on children's early learning environments, and explores links between children's everyday experiences and their play activities. Paper two discusses the contributions of social, cultural, and socio-economic factors to infants' first symbol use. Paper three examines infant- caregiver social interactions in the context of the physical and social ecology of an East Indian household. Paper four summarizes and integrates the symposium topics and considers the implications of different perspectives on early social and linguistic development.
Gardiner, Harry (U Wisconsin-La Crosse) LOOKING AT HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FROM A CONTEXTUAL APPROACH
A new way of looking at human development is presented combining the ecological systems theory of Bronfenbrenner, the developmental niche concepts of Harkness and Super, a developmental perspective, and cross-cultural research. The focus is on development within the cultural context and a synthesis and critique of past and contemporary theory and research. Findings presented in a recently published book by Gardiner, Mutter and Kosmitzki, "Lives Across Cultures: Perspectives on Cross-Cultural Human Development," will be discussed.
Gibbons, Judith (Saint Louis U) and Deborah A Stiles (Webster U) INVOLVING ADOLESCENTS IN RESEARCH
Motivated by ethical concerns for the particular vulnerabilities of adolescents, by a desire to do relevant and meaningful research, and by practical concerns in enlisting the support of teachers, schools, and participants, we have involved adolescents in the research process as we searched for research tasks that are interesting, meaningful, and educational, developmentally and cross-culturally appropriate, that are not time consuming, embarrassing, or annoying, and that can be done at school. As an example of involving adolescents in research, we will show a short videotape about our findings, prepared in collaboration with and narrated by a Mexican adolescent girl.
Higgins, Michael J (U Northern Colorado) STREETS, BEDROOMS, AND PATIOS: THE ORDINARINESS OF DIVERSITY IN URBAN OAXACA
The discourse on popular cultures in Mexico discusses the diversity of the social actors found mainly in the urban regions. This presentation hopes to expand this view by presenting the ondas (lifestyles) of groups that are not talked about -- transvestite prostitutes, female prostitutes, discapacitados (people with disabilities), street kids, and AIDS activists -- who are part of the popular sectors in Oaxaca. These folks do not represent groups of exotic people, but real people living in the material conditions of post-modern consumer capitalism in Oaxaca. I refer to this as the ordinariness of diversity within the rapidly changing urban context of Oaxaca.
Hong, Gui-Young (UT-Chattanooga) CULTURAL REPRESENTATIONS OF NONMATERIAL BELIEFS IN KOREA
While nonmaterial beliefs appear to exist universally across cultures, understanding individuals from within cultures requires taking culture-specific meanings and functions of the beliefs into account. Until foreign beliefs like Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity were introduced to Korea, shamanism had been a widespread "indigenous" belief. With the introduction of Confucianism in the 14th century, shamanism was primarily relegated to the spiritual world of women. This paper presents cultural representations of shamanism in contemporary Korean contexts at three interrelated levels: (1) macroscopic-sociocultural, (2) subcultural, and (3) individual. As an empirical example, selected parts of life story told by a sonless woman on Cheju Island will be presented.
Johnson, John R (Santa Barbara Mus Natural History) MARRIAGE PATTERNS OF CHUMASH CHIEFS IN CROSS- CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
The study of Chumash marriage patterns based on mission register evidence reveals some interesting differences between political leaders and the rest of their society. Chumash chiefs were polygamous and frequently practiced virilocal residence, while most Chumash families were monogamous and matrilocal. Also, chiefs and their progeny tended to marry more widely and often found spouses in the families of political leaders in other communities. A cross-cultural study of 24 matrilocal societies elsewhere in the world reveals that the Chumash were not atypical in their marriage and residence preferences. Comparative anthropological research also advances our understanding of factors underlying differences in polygynous marriage types between matrilocal and patrilocal societies.
Kedia, Satish (U Kentucky) CHILD BEARING AND BIRTH PRACTICES IN TWO NORTH INDIAN COMMUNITIES: SOME INSIGHTS INTO MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
In most rural communities in north India, families utilize their traditional child bearing and birth practices, many of which have powerful spiritual and symbolic elements. The behavior of family members and the prospective mother is guided by traditional reproductive strategies. These strategies are aimed at maximizing the chances for reproductive success through optimal use of local resources and by gratifying supernatural agencies. In order to achieve a greater understanding of these practices, comparative research was conducted among two communities in different ecological zones, the Jats in the Indo-Gangetic plains and the Garhwalis in the Himalayan mountains. The goal of this paper is to analyze intercultural variation in traditional child bearing and birth practices within north India and to discuss their possible health impacts.
Kleiner, Robert J (Temple U), Tom Sorensen (Norway), Inger Sandanger (Norway), Guri Ingebrigtsen (Norway), and Odd Steffen Dalgar (Norway) MIGRATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH: A NEW EMERGING PERSPECTIVE
Historically speaking, the approach to the phenomenon of migration has, too often, been one of simplicity and narrow operationalism; such as the division of migration into international and internal movement, and the assumption of different phenomena. In addition, we have seen the predominant definition of migration in terms of birthplace; and in recent years in terms of place of socialization. And lastly, we have seen the similarities a) between the culture of origin and the culture of destination, and b) the urban-rural character of the communities of origin and destination used as explanatory variables for the "problems" experienced by different migrant populations. We have raised, elsewhere, questions about the oversimplification, and gave some of the manifestations and ramifications of this process. This paper will continue the task of putting these new ideas into a new, more integrated perspective in which migration is no longer a matter of choice in cross-cultural research, but a necessary aspect of such research. In this context, international and internal migration is no longer seen as qualitatively different phenomena. Second, we will show that defining migratory status in terms of place of socialization has made the phenomena manyfold more complicated. Lastly, we have drawn attention to the need to consider the interaction of objective, social, subjective realities in cross-cultural research. We have seen and will show here how our research in Norway, drawing on this perspective, has led to the realization that migrant groups often manifest their own emergent subcultural behavior which can be very potent in their lives.
Kosmitzki, Corinne (Drew U) CONTEXTUAL VIEWS OF CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT: A DISCUSSION OF SELECTED STUDIES
This presentation reflects on selected studies in different areas of cross-cultural and developmental research. Examples include studies on gender, temperament, and social behavior. A detailed discussion will illustrate how the contextual approach and the concepts previously introduced, e.g., ecological systems and developmental niche may and may not apply in these specific cases.
Meijer, Lieke (Leiden U), Charles M Super (U Connecticut), and Sara Harkness (U Connecticut) CULTURE, TEMPERAMENT, AND PARENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF CHILDREN'S "DIFFICULT" BEHAVIOR IN THE NETHERLANDS AND THE US
The concept of a "difficult child" has been a key one in the substantial literature on temperament and development over the past few decades. In general, this idea has given way to a more relativistic concern with the "goodness of fit" between a child's dispositional characteristics and the environment's demands. Nevertheless, researchers have had little success in specifying further the nature of "fit" and or in finding a systematic relationship between maternal judgments of "difficult" and specific dimensions of child behavior. The present study examines maternal temperament and difficulty ratings, as well as interviews about child care, in two samples, one from te town of "Bloemenheim" in Holland and the other in towns surrounding Cambridge, Massachusetts. Results indicate a systematically different relationship between behavioral dimensions and difficulty judgments in the two samples. In addition, parents in the two cultural settings interpreted the causes of difficulty differently, as either inherent in the child (more in the US) or the result of environmental factors (more in Holland). The implications of these findings for understanding the interaction of culture and individuality will be discussed.
Moghaddam, Fathali M (Georgetown U) and Jane D Bowden (Georgetown U), Heather Fath (Georgetown U), Rom Harre (Georgetown U) and Elizabeth Godfrey (Holton Arms School) THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...A NEW (?) LOOK AT AN OLD PARADOX
Students of social change have noted a fundamental paradox characteristic of social change, involving a persistence of certain patterns of behavior, even after historic revolutions. This is a preliminary report of three multi-method field studies which involve (1) ballet training and (2) the Georgia flag in the US context, and (3) gender relations in two Third World contexts. We highlight the role of everyday social behaviors in attempts at change regulation.
Mutter, Jay (St Mary's U-Minnesota) THE CONTEXTUAL APPROACH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
An interactive presentation on implications of the contextual approach and future research opportunities and challenges associated with it.
Okeke, Barnabas (Philadelphia Dept of Health), Robert J Kleiner (Temple U) THE SOCIAL STRUCTURAL CONTEXT OF MIGRATION, PERSONAL AND INTERPERSONAL INFLUENCES AND QUALITY OF LIFE
In this paper, we will deal with the interplay of objective reality (here defined in terms of the social structural properties of the system), the individuals' and their networks' evaluation of these properties, and their significance for quality of life. We will use data from several countries to support our points. The structure of an objective reality such as the act of migration is always seen through the eyes of the individual and his social network(s). Migration as an objective reality can be defined as the experiences of migrants as they move from one place to another. Different evaluations of the objective reality affects and is affected by potent life events. Despite the similarities and differences between the objective, social and subjective realities, objective reality is the anchor of the nexus of interacting variables. In the context of this paper, the migration phenomenon provides part of the essential objective reality. In the total experience, it cannot be seen as anything but an essential and central variable. Migration is also of central importance because of the fact that 40% or more of any people in any given society are migrants of one kind or another.
Parmar, Parminder (U Connecticut), Sara Harkness (U Connecticut), Charles M Super (U Connecticut), James Johnson (U Connecticut), and Yun-Joo Chyung (U Connecticut) AMERICAN AND ASIAN PARENTS' ETHNOTHEORIES OF PLAY AND LEARNING: EFFECTS ON HOME ROUTINES AND CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR IN DAYCARE
The importance of play for the development of young children is recognized in major developmental theories (Piaget 1962; Vygotsky 1978) and has become part of conventional folk wisdom for American middle class families (Lightfoot and Valsiner 1992). Play is thought to provide opportunities to practice activities that will be important in later life, without the negative consequences of involvement in the adult version; to give an outlet for the expression and development of children's creative thinking and problem-solving; and to create activity structures for the development of social relationships. For the American middle class, play--and the toys that are manufactured to support play--are more generally thought to be necessary for "stimulation" of cognitive and social development, crucial for success in school and in later life. A growing body of literature, however, documents wide cultural variations in beliefs and practices related to young children's play (Harkness and Super 1985; Roopnarine, Johnson, and Hooper 1994; Schwartzman 1978). This paper reports preliminary results of a study of parental beliefs about children's play and learning, among middle class American and international (Asian and European) parents residing in a university town of central Pennsylvania (State College). Methods included parent interviews, parent diaries of children's daily routines, and structured observations of children's behavior in university-run daycare centers. The American and International parents differed widely in their beliefs about the importance of play versus other activities for children's successful development, with the International parents emphasizing the importance of school-related activities from the early age, and stressing the role of the parent as teacher, in contrast to the American parents who emphasized the importance of play and the role of the parent as playmate. These differences in beliefs are mirrored in differences in the children's daily routines, with the International children more frequently engaged in school-related activities at home. In daycare, the International children's behavior was also differentiated from the American children in the proportion of time spent in play activities and other activities. This study provides support for the idea that parent's cultural beliefs are instantiated in practices that have important consequences for children's behavioral development and adaptation to group settings such as daycare or school.
Pepitone, Albert (U Pennsylvania) CONSTANCY AND VARIATION OF NONMATERIAL BELIEFS
Ethnographic observations strongly suggest that spiritual, metaphysical, paranormal, hypothetical and moral beliefs, including particularly God, fate, luck, chance, and justice, are, in some form, found in every known culture. Theoretically, such NONMATERIAL beliefs are assumed to evolve and be maintained by serving important individual and group functions. This report summarizes a program of research on specific theoretical issues concerning a fundamental function of beliefs: to provide explanations for life events. 1. What kind or what features of life events elicit nonmaterial beliefs for this purpose? 2. What determines which belief is used in given life events? 3. To what extent is this functional use of nonmaterial beliefs general across cultural samples? Conclusions about the "selective correspondence" hypothesis are based on comparisons of five cultural samples.
Raybeck, Douglas (Hamilton C) TOWARD MORE HOLISTIC EXPLANATIONS: CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH AND CROSS LEVEL ANALYSIS
Arguably, anthropologists and others can achieve a better sense of sociocultural process (how institutions interact with one another), by attending to mediating variables at the psychological level. A concern with lower level processes not only improves our understanding of higher level phenomena, it can lead us to perceive important interrelationships which might otherwise be overlooked. This is particularly true in the arena of cross-cultural research where this approach has often, and sometimes unknowingly, been employed. Examples in support of this argument are taken from a variety of cross-cultural studies including works by McClelland, Whiting, Bolton and the author. Finally, a simple set of procedures that accomplishes this objective, yet avoids the pitfalls of both reductionism and reification, is suggested.
Reddy, Ranjini (St Louis U), Janet E Kuebli (St Louis U), Judith L Gibbons (St Louis U) PERCEPTIONS OF OTHERS IN SELF-DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN INDIA
Perceptions of others in self-descriptions of 190 children and adolescents (9-11, 12-14, and 15-16 year olds) in Southern India were studied. References to others were coded to examine variation by age, socioeconomic status (SES), and gender. Most references to others were made by 9-11 year olds from the lowest SES group. The person that was mentioned, whether other family member or a person outside the family, also varied by SES and age. This study reiterates the finding that development of self-descriptions does not proceed in a universal fashion.
Rohner, Ronald P (U Connecticut) HISTORY AND CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH ON FATHER LOVE
Mother love has been celebrated for centuries. Father love, however, has been barely recognized until recently. This paper traces the history and current research on father love within the U.S. and cross- culturally. The paper ends with a discussion of the growing realization that father love is often as predictive as mother love--and sometimes more so-- for behavioral and developmental outcomes for children.
Sabat, Steve (Georgetown U), Heath Fath (Georgetown U), and Fathali Moghaddam (Georgetown U) THE TERMINATION OF THE SELF AND SELF-ESTEEM: LESSONS FROM THE CULTURE OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE SUFFERERS
There is now an extensive body of research both on independent selves as conceived in Western societies, and more recently on interdependent selves pervasive in non-Western cultures. Instead of looking at the growth of the self and self- esteem from a developmental angle, we focus on the issue of the demise of the self as seen in Alzheimer's disease (AD) sufferers. We use a case- study approach to examine relations between AD sufferers and the non-afflicted, focusing on the strategies used by the former to maintain self, and self-esteem.
Sethi, Renuka (CSU-Bakersfield), David Watkins (U Hong Kong) THE SELF-ESTEEM OF HISPANIC-AMERICAN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: MEASUREMENT AND CROSS-CULTURAL DATA
This research first investigated the validity for Hispanic-American students of the currently most widely accepted self instrument: the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ 1; Marsh, 1987) and then compares their self- esteem with SDQ 1 based on samples of like-aged Australian, Malaysian, and Nigerian students. Analyses based on the responses of 223 Hispanic students indicated that the SDQ 1 scales had excellent internal consistency (median alpha of .85) and factor analysis supported the underlying self-esteem model on which SDQ 1 is based. Country X Gender ANOVA's were then conducted on the SDQ 1 scales means. The Hispanic respondents tended to report lower self-esteem on academic areas but this was not the case for non-academic areas or the general self. These results were considered in terms of their possible impact [on] academic achievement of Hispanic-American students.
Shebloski, Barbara (St Louis U), Judith L Gibbons (St Louis U) INTERGENERATIONAL CORRELATIONS IN BELIEFS ABOUT WOMEN'S ROLES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Intergenerational correlations in attitudes toward women's roles were studied among seventy high school students and their parents in the Czech Republic. Although there were significant positive correlations between the attitudes of parents and those of their adolescent daughters, the correlation between parents' and sons' attitudes was not significant. More liberal attitudes toward women's roles were found among females and girls whose mothers held professional jobs. These results add to the growing body of knowledge that not only does parental ideology vary cross- culturally and cross-nationally, but that parental attitudes have consequences for their children's development.
Starr, B James (Howard U), L R Sloan (Howard U) JUDGING JUSTICE: DATA ON INDIVIDUAL CALCULUS
New analyses of data collected as part of a larger cross-cultural study of justice reported at SCCR meetings in Savannah in 1995 are examined. Results confirm previous findings using aggregate predictors on the utility of Person-Outcome Discrepancy (POD) scores in predicting justice judgments. In addition, the data suggest insights regarding how individuals make their judgments. Notably[?] the same behaviors may be differentially evaluated depending on their valence. Ongoing research bridging from these findings is also described.
Sterling, Marvin (UCLA) CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN IN JAPAN
Japanese impressions of blacks have been formed in an interpersonal void in which few flesh-and-blood blacks act as social referent. In this paper, I ask: Who is the black Other in sociohistorical Japan? How do these notions of the black Other shape readings of his/her interpersonal presence? Focussing on hip- hop culture, I argue that Japan's isolationism, the globalization of black culture, the inherently commodified nature of this subculture and Japan's ideological borrowing from the West all promote a problematic epistemology of the African Other as black cultural artifact.
Super, Charles M (U Connecticut), Sara Harkness (U Connecticut), and Marjolijn Blom (U Connecticut) CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN DUTCH AND AMERICAN INFANTS' SLEEP PATTERNS: HOW DO THEY GET THAT WAY?
Previous findings from communities in Holland and the US indicate that children and infants in these two groups differ in the amount and the patterning of sleep. At six months, the youngest age studied, the Dutch infants' daily advantage in total sleep was 2 hours, and their sleep patterns were seen to be less variable both within the individual child and within each sample. These findings have been related to a variety of ethnographic material, including specifically parental ethnotheories regarding the importance of stimulation and rest and the child care customs parents used in the two settings to implement their belief systems. The present study extends these observations in Holland and the US down to younger infants. Methods include sleep and activity diaries kept by the mothers for 3 consecutive days at the following ages: 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks. In addition, the mothers were interviewed on each occasion regarding their understanding of the baby's development, the child care methods they employed, and their own experience as new mothers. Preliminary results indicate that the sleep differences are evident very early, and further that they are embedded in a larger complex of rest and stimulation for the mother during pregnancy and the opening months of life.
Tay, Lynette (St Louis U), Judith L Gibbons (St Louis U) ATTITUDES TOWARD GENDER ROLES AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN SINGAPORE
Adolescents (249, mostly 13 and 14 year olds) attending four Singaporean schools completed the Attitudes Toward Women Scale for Adolescents (AWSA) and rated the importance of ten characteristics of the ideal woman and man. More traditional attitudes toward women's roles were found among boys than girls, and among students attending public co-educational schools rather than elite private single-sex schools. Students attending the public co-educational schools were also more likely than others to consider it more important that the ideal man (compared to the ideal woman) be intelligent and have a good job and a lot of money.
Veneziano, Robert A (St Joseph C) FATHER LOVE AND CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE-REJECTION THEORY: HOLOCULTURAL AND COMMUNITY STUDIES
The paper presents findings about paternal behavior in the context of Parental Acceptance-Rejection Theory, including 1) the sociocultural antecedents of father love and the availability of fathers, and 2) the consequences for children's social and psychological development of father love and the availability of fathers. Evidence from holocultural research and from studies in four communities in the United States, India, Korea, and the West Indies shows that fathers are significant contributors to children's development, although paternal behaviors and beliefs about the importance of fathers vary across the four communities.
Weigl, Robert C (Franklin Psychotherapy Ctr) and Jesus Reyes (United Community Ministries) COMMUNITY ACTION RESEARCH AS AN INTRUSIVE ETHNOGRAPHIC METHOD
Mexican and American colleagues describe how the Hispanic Leadership Project, demonstration action research at the interface of immigrant Latino and host North American communities, provided a powerful strategy to reveal defining characteristics of contrasting cultures. In a sector of the Washington, DC metro area, local government and private funders jointly sponsored a program to prepare Latino leaders to unite and speak for recently arrived immigrant peers. The paper demonstrates how action research operates as a powerful knowledge generating as well as social change process. The audience also will receive an overview of findings of practical use in generating productive Latino-North American collaboration in many institutional and community settings.
Welles-Nyestrom, Barbara (Stockholm U) THE INSTANTIATION OF SWEDISH PARENTAL ETHNOTHEORIES THROUGH CHILD-ORIENTED MODIFICATIONS OF THE HOME ENVIRONMENT
The organization of the home as a learning environment for children has long been of concern to developmental researchers, who seek insights into parenting attitudes and practices through analysis of the child's physical surroundings. In this [paper], we present preliminary results of research on Swedish parents' cultural beliefs about the child, the physical organization of the home, and the use of this space in everyday life. Data come from a study of 60 Swedish families with children ages 8 months to 7-8 years. Methods include semi-structured, tape recorded interviews with parents about their beliefs and practices related to the child, "maps" of the family living space with particular emphasis on areas used intensely by the child, and parental diaries, kept for a week, about the child's daily activities and routines. This study is part of the International Study of Parents, Children, and Schools (ISPCS). Our analysis focuses on Swedish parents' cultural beliefs and their instantiation in the organization and daily use of the home environment. Swedish parental ethnotheories place the child in the center of the family, and the home dwelling is made safe and secure in order for the child to use it as he or she wants. The child is considered to have many "rights," including the right to have a safe and developmentally appropriate home environment which can be freely explored. Specific parental beliefs and practices follow from this: for instance, the bathroom is considered by many Swedish parents as an important place for the young child, and it is organized accordingly with water- proof toys for tub plan, a little stool for reaching the sink to wash hands, and an extra attachment for the toilet so the child can sit on the adult fixture and feel "big." In the present paper, we describe age trends in the modification and use of patterns in the home as related to parental ethnotheories, and present preliminary comparative data from other studies in the ISPCS group. Finally, we discuss the implications of how the living space is organized for children's physical, emotional and cognitive development.
Williams, Edith (Chicago Read Mental Health Ctr), Kip Coggins (U Texas-El Paso), Norma Radin (U Michigan) PATERNAL NURTURANCE IN CHILDREARING AND THE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE OF OJIBWA CHILDREN: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY
Ojibwa families (N=17) were examined to determine the relationship between paternal nurturance and their elementary school children's academic and social school performance. Data were analyzed for the whole group and for males. Paternal nurturance was associated with poor academic and social outcomes. The results were interpreted in terms of Baumrind's two dimensions of parenting, demandingness and responsiveness.[?]
Wojcicki, Janet Maia (UCLA) THE DECRIMINALIZATION OF PROSTITUTION IN JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA: QUESTIONS OF MORALITY
My paper examines the decriminalization of prostitution in Johannesburg, South Africa; it is based on field research from June through September 1996. I examine to what extent the decriminalization of prostitution affects the experience of prostitution for sex- workers (including stigma experienced) as well as how a liberal legal approach can affect safe-sex practices. Moreover, the paper looks at how a changed legal approach to prostitution may be indicative of general attitudes and perspectives on women in South Africa.
ADOLESCENTS IN A CHANGING WORLD (Symposium)
Although adolescents living in many parts of the world may have concerns about their own personal identities and may focus on issues related to gender roles, both the content of their concerns and the developmental course of their thoughts and beliefs may vary across cultural settings. Moreover, changing social conditions such as form of government or immigration may influence adolescent development. Issues of gender and identity will be addressed in this symposium, using samples of adolescents from Norway, India, Singapore, Puerto Rico, and the Czech Republic.
CURRENT ISSUES IN THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (session abstract)
In recent years, developmental psychologists and educators have become
increasingly interested in the development and organization of children's
early patterns of social behavior in everyday life. The underlying assumption
of this approach is that social development relies in critical ways on children's
participation in the activities and practices in the community. This symposium
will examine this premise by discussing children's everyday activities with
particular attention to the role of cultural and contextual influences on
children's social, symbolic, and linguistic development. Paper one introduces
the symposium, examines contextual influences on children's early learning
environments, and explores links between children's everyday experiences
and their play activities. Paper two discusses the contributions of social,
cultural, and socio-economic factors to infants' first symbol use. Paper
three examines infant- caregiver social interactions in the context of the
physical and social ecology of an East Indian household. Paper four summarizes
and integrates the symposium topics and considers the implications of different
perspectives on early social and linguistic development.
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