Maternal and Paternal Differences in Infant Carry: U.S. and African Data

Lockard, Joan S.; Daley, Paul C.; Gunderson, Virginia M.

doi:10.1086/283382

Cited by 50 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The role of emotional state in the developing fatherinfant relationship also deserves careful attention. Fathers and men generally also show a left-bias for holding infants, which sometimes, especially for fathers of newborns, is as strong as the bias shown by women, and sometimes is weaker or even reversed (Dagenbach et al, 1988;Lockard et al, 1979). The study of fathers also is indicated in light of evidence of a reduced left-bias in fathers who, during their wives' pregnancies, were diagnosed with Couvade syndrome, a disorder whose symptoms include depression and dysphoria (Bogren, 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is maternal depression related to side of infant holding?

Weatherill

Almerigi

Levendosky³

et al. 2004

International Journal of Behavioral Development

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Studies show that 65–85% of mothers hold their infants on the left side of their own body and that this left-bias may be reduced or reversed when mothers have symptoms similar to depression or dysphoria (de Château, Holmberg, & Winberg, 1978). No studies, however, have used diagnostic criteria to assess the mother’s psychological state. The current study examined the relationship between maternal report of depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory and holding-side bias in a high-risk sample of 177 mothers participating with their infants in a larger longitudinal study of mother–infant relationships and domestic violence. Mothers classified as nondepressed showed a significant left-bias; those classified as depressed showed a nonsignificant right-bias; mothers who reported experiencing domestic violence also showed a reduced left-bias. The results are interpreted in terms of current theory and research on lateralised hemispheric activation and depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is maternal depression related to side of infant holding?

Weatherill

Almerigi

Levendosky³

et al. 2004

International Journal of Behavioral Development

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“…First, human right-handedness is often claimed to be a universal human trait, present in all cultures (Lockard et al, 1979). Interestingly, left-sided cradling is also often considered a universal human trait.…”

Section: Handednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Laterality in Maternal Cradling and Infant Positional Biases: Implications for the Development and Evolution of Hand Preferences in Nonhuman Primates

Hopkins

2004

International Journal of Primatology

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Left-sided maternal cradling has been widely reported in human populations. In this paper, I review the evidence of laterality in maternal cradling and infant positional biases in non-human primates. The review revealed some evidence of population-left sided cradling in great apes but little consistency in bias was found among Old and New World monkeys. Very little data have been reported in prosimians. I further describe how asymmetries in either maternal cradling or infant positional biases may explain individual and species differences in hand preference.

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“…However, only 68.3% of fathers as opposed to 74.8% of men without children of their own cradled in the non-dominant arm. Although this difference in cradling behaviour was not significant, it might be related to the fact that males tend to carry older infants more frequently than females and predominantly on the right side (Lockard, Daley, & Gunderson, 1979;Rheingold & Keene, 1965), which for the majority of males will be their dominant and stronger arm. Males have also been found to carry children more often over longer distances, or for longer periods of time (Brü ser, 1981).…”

Section: Handedness and Functional Cradling Bias 271mentioning

confidence: 84%

Handedness as a major determinant of functional cradling bias

Meer

Husby

2006

Laterality: Asymmetries of Body, Brain and Cognition

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Cradling is an interactive activity, involving a manual component that is very often an integral part of cradling. Cradling, while doing something else with the free hand, is referred to here as functional cradling. This study examined the relationship between a person's handedness and what arm he or she prefers to use when functionally cradling a baby doll that resembles a newborn infant. A total of 765 participants took part in the experiment, 403 women and 362 men, between the ages of 4 and 86 years. Left- and mixed-handers were actively recruited. The sample consisted of 64.3% right-handed, 24.7% mixed-handed, and 11.0% left-handed participants. The results showed a clear tendency for participants to cradle in their non-dominant arm (p < .001). Furthermore, this tendency increased with age and it was present in both sexes, although significantly stronger in women than in men. On the other hand, experience with young children through younger siblings and/or being a parent did not increase the likelihood to cradle in the non-dominant arm. It is concluded that humans have a clear functional cradling preference for the non-dominant arm because this enables the dominant arm to engage in other tasks. This might also explain why previous studies have reported a universal left cradling bias because a right-handed majority (intuitively) keeps the dominant hand free when cradling.

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Maternal and Paternal Differences in Infant Carry: U.S. and African Data

Cited by 50 publications

References 10 publications

Is maternal depression related to side of infant holding?

Is maternal depression related to side of infant holding?

Laterality in Maternal Cradling and Infant Positional Biases: Implications for the Development and Evolution of Hand Preferences in Nonhuman Primates

Handedness as a major determinant of functional cradling bias

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