Practices and representations of child care and motor development among West Africans in Paris

Abstract

Massage techniques and postural manipulation used by West African women immigrants in Paris were studied, with the aim of demonstrating that culturally regulated caretaking practices have an influence on infant motor development. Twenty-five infants were observed between the ages of 3 and 12 months and 9 and 15 months. Frequency of massage and its accompanying set of physical exercises were found to be related to age at onset of independent walking. The findings show that infants receiving daily massage walk significantly earlier than infants who do not receive maeaage, thus confirming other reports that vestibular and postural stimulation have a positive effect on motor development. These results are discussed in relation to the observed frequency of contact and of physical games with the caregiver for a smaller sample of three infants, and to parental expectations about the age of acquisition of certain cognitive and motor abilities. African immigrant mothers expect their infants to sit and to walk earlier than French mothers.The conclusion emphasizes the contribution of social anthropology, which shows that in all cultures, physical development and body changes elicit symbolic practices and a search for explanation.

Maternal Speech to 4-month-old Infants in Two Cultures: Wolof and French

“…The motor development of these infants, like other African infants, is often more advanced at this age (Super, 1976). Body postures are the object of vigorous manipulations, as we have seen in the Wolof massaging customs (Rabain-Jamin & Wornham, 1993) and as other authors have observed in several African societies (Bril & Sabatier, 1986;Super, 1976;Trevarthen, 1988). The verbal counterparts of the mothers' vigorous body practices are found in their highly emphatic verbal requests (consisting essentially of orders and a large range of negatives), which are accompanied by constant attentiveness to the baby's reaction.…”

“…The Wolof mothers were contacted during regular visits to a neighbourho od-based health centre in the 20th district of Paris in an area with a high immigrant population. From a larger sample of Western African families in which caretaking practices were studied (Rabain-Jamin & Wornham, 1993), only the four Wolof dyads were considered. The ve French mothers were contacted in another health centre 50 km south of Paris.…”

“…Several other studies have shown that local theories of child care and development are resistant to the social changes involved in immigrating to another culture (Hopkins & Westra, 1989;Rabain-Jamin & Wornham, 1993). It therefore seems legitimate to assume that Wolof mothers in the immigration context will preserve their culture's way of interacting with infants and maintain their rhythmic and vocal infant stimulation practices.…”

“…Given the speci c cultural norms of child rearing as evidenced in our earlier comparative studies, notably the importance Wolof mothers give to rhythmic activity (Rabain-Jamin, 1994;Rabain-Jamin & Wornham, 1993), we expected to nd a relatively large proportion of directives used to incite the baby to dance or perform a variety of motor activities. On the other hand, due to differing social values dictating Wolof children's socialisation to function more sociocentrically than French or North American children, who on the contrary are encouraged to manifest a more individualist ic expression of themselves, the Wolof mother's child-directed remarks about communication per se (talking, speaking, answering) should re ect a polyadic framework involving the mother, the child, and a third party.…”

Maternal behavior influences development of a reflexive action pattern in the newborn rat

“…Cross cultural studies examining the development of locomotion in humans have shown that different rearing practices can lead to different time courses in the onset of walking (Adolph & Robinson, ). For example, in Uganda mothers engage in rearing practices that are intended to facilitate the onset of walking (Bril & Sabatier, ; Hopkins & Westra, ; Rabain‐Jamin & Wornham, ; Super, ). Bouncing, shaking, and rubbing the legs of their infants quickens the onset of motor development with the children walking as early as 7 months of age.…”