The work on this project involves a number of studies in a variety of cultures. The overall objective is to explore the ways in which developmental environments can be described by variations in physical and social ecologies, especially in terms of parental beliefs, values, and practices, and to assess how differences in these domains affect children's development. In the first study, West African parents were interviewed about their perceptions, values, expectations, responsibilities, and practices. Initial results showed that urbanicity, generation, and gender independently influenced the replacement of traditional endogenous beliefs by those of western origin. In a second study, researchers are attempting to assess specific maternal and child attributions about one another in order to identify the extent to which attributions or expectations shape the way that parents and children interact, with particular focus on the development of aggressive behavior. Initial results showed that mothers and sons interacted more aggressively when they had negative attributions of one another. Third, observational and parent-report measures of infant-mother attachment are being studied in samples of Japanese mothers and infants in the United States' high level of social support were associated with low infant- mother attachment security, in contrast to the situation in the US.
| Kelly, Joan B; Lamb, Michael E (2003) Developmental issues in relocation cases involving young children: when, whether, and how? J Fam Psychol 17:193-205 |
| Lindsey, Eric W; MacKinnon-Lewis, Carol; Campbell, Jessica et al. (2002) Marital conflict and boys' peer relationships: the mediating role of mother-son emotional reciprocity. J Fam Psychol 16:466-77 |
