On account of a series of unique historical events, the present-day denizens of South Tyrol inhabit a cultural, political, and linguistic autonomous region that intercalates Italians and Austrian/ German Italians. The authors compared contemporary Italian and Austrian/German Italian girls’ and boys’ adaptive behaviors in everyday activities in this region. Using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, the authors first interviewed mothers about their children’s communication, daily living, socialization, and motor skills. Main effects of local culture (and no interactions with gender) emerged: Austrian/German Italian children were rated higher than Italian children in both adaptive daily living and socialization skills. Next, the authors explored ethnic differences in childrearing. Austrian/German Italians reported fostering greater autonomy in their children than Italians, and children’s autonomy was associated with their adaptive behavior. Children living in neighboring Italian and Austrian/German Italian cultural niches appear to experience subtle but consequentially different conditions of development that express themselves in terms of differing levels of adaptive behaviors.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahnert, L., Kraetzig, S., Meischner, T., & Schmidt, A. ( 1994). Sozialisationskonzepte für Kleinkinder: Wirkungen tradierter Erziehungsvorstellungen und staatssozialistischer Erziehungsdoktirinen im intraund interkulturellen Ost-West-Vergleich. In G. Trommdsdorff (Ed.), Psychologische Aspekte des sozio-politischen Wandels in Ostdeutschland (pp. 94-110). Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter.
2.
Alcock, A. ( 1982). Geschichte der Südtirolfrage: Südtirol seit dem Paket 1970-1980. Wien, Austria: Braumüller.
3.
Alcock, A. ( 2001). The South Tyrol autonomy. A short introduction. Londonderry, UK: University of Ulster.
4.
ASTAT, Istituto Provinciale di Statistica. ( 2001). Censimento della popolazione 2001. Astat Informazioni, 17, 1-16.
5.
ASTAT, Istituto Provinciale di Statistica. ( 2006). Barometro linguistico in Alto Adige. Uso della lingua ed identità linguistica in provincia di Bolzano. Bolzano, Italy: La Bodoniana.
6.
Axia, V., & Weisner, T.S. ( 2002). Infant stress reactivity and home cultural ecology of Italian infants and families. Infant Behavior & Development , 25, 255-268.
7.
Balboni, G., Dantoni, D., & Pedrabissi, L. (2000). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-Classroom Edition: Uno strumento di misura dell’adattamento scolastico. I disturbi dell’apprendimento. IX Congresso Nazionale A.I.R.I.P.A.
8.
Balboni, G., & Pedrabissi, L. (2003). Adattamento italiano delle Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Firenze, Italy: O.S. Organizzazioni Speciali.
9.
Balboni, G., Pedrabissi, L., Molteni, M., & Villa, S. ( 2001). Discriminant validity of the Vineland scales: Score profiles of individuals with mental retardation and a specific disorder. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 106, 162-172.
10.
Barnard, K.E., & Solchany, J.E. (2002). Mothering. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting Vol. 3. Status and social conditions of parenting (2nd ed., pp. 3-25). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
11.
Baur, S. ( 1983). La minoranza tedesca del Sudtirolo: Tutela della lingua madre e prospettive di bilinguismo. In Proceedings of the Congress "L’educazione plurilingue in Italia". Frascati, Italy: CEDE, Quaderni di Villa Falconieri .
12.
Baur, S. ( 1994). Memorie collettive - Lingua e convivenza. In S. Baur & S. Montali (Eds.), Lingue tra culture (pp. 129-145). Bolzano, Italy: Alpha & Beta.
13.
Bornstein, M.H. ( 1991). Cultural approaches to parenting. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
14.
Bornstein, M. H. (Ed.). (2009a). The handbook of cultural developmental science. Volume 1. Domains of human development across cultures: Volume 2. Human development in different places on earth . New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.
15.
Bornstein, M.H. ( 2009b). Parents’ reports about their children’s lives. In A. Ben-Arieh, J. Cashmore, G. Goodman, J. Kampmann, & G. Melton (Eds.), Handbook of child research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
16.
Bornstein, M.H., Giusti, Z., Leach, D.B., & Venuti, P. ( 2005). Maternal reports of adaptive behaviours in young children: Urban-rural and gender comparisons in Italy and United States. Infant and Child Development, 14, 403-424.
17.
Bradley, R.H. ( 2004). Chaos, culture, and covariance structures: A dynamic systems view of children’s experiences at home. Parenting: Science and Practice, 4, 243-257.
18.
Calvo, V., Mazzeschi, C., Zennaro, A., & Lis, A. ( 2002). Studio di alcuni aspetti di rischio connessi alle rappresentazioni di attaccamento di padri e madri. Età Evolutiva, 72, 68-73.
19.
Capozza, D., & Manganelli Rattazzi, A.M. (1999). Stereotypes and attribution processes in a multi-ethnic Italian province. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 9, 231-236.
20.
Cole, M. ( 2005). Culture in development. In M. H. Bornstein & M. E. Lamb (Eds.), Developmental science: An advanced textbook (pp. 45-101). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
21.
Colin, V.L. ( 1996). Human attachment. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
22.
Cooper, C.R., & Denner, J. ( 1998). Theories linking culture and psychology: Universal and community-specific processes. Annual Review of Psychology , 49, 559-584.
23.
Costarelli, S. ( 2006). The distinct roles of subordinate and superordinate group power, conflict, and categorization on intergroup prejudice in a multiethnic Italian territory. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146, 5-13.
24.
Crowne, D.P., & Marlowe, D. ( 1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology . Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 963-968.
25.
Cuéllar, I., Arnold, B., & Maldonado, R. ( 1995). Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II: A revision of the original ARSMA scale. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 17, 275-304.
26.
Darwish, A.E., & Huber, J.L. ( 2002). Individualism-collectivism in different cultural societies: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Psychology ( Egypt), 16, 152-162 (in Arabic).
27.
Deflorian, F., & Miclet, R. ( 1992). Indagine sociolinguistica e primi risultati della sperimentazione . In Proceedings of the International Congress "Il tedesco seconda lingua in prima elementare-La sperimentazione in atto" . Bolzano, Italy: Assessorato all’Istruzione e Cultura in Lingua Italiana Della Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano.
28.
De Stasio, S., Gentile, S., Labonia, M., & Masi, R. ( 2002). Utilizzo della Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales nella diagnosi Psicometrica-Psicologica e nella Pratica Assistenziale in Pazienti con Deficit Uditivo. Poster at the 7 Incontro di Informazione Scientifica OBG.
29.
diSibio, M. ( 1993). Conjoint effects of intelligence and adaptive behavior on achievement in a nonreferred sample. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 11, 304-313.
30.
Dörrenhaus, F. ( 1959). Wo der Norden dem Süden begegnet: Südtirol . Bozen, Italy: Athesia.
31.
Doucette, J., & Freedman, R. ( 1980). Progress tests for the developmentally disabled. Cambridge, MA: Alet.
32.
Eichinger, L.M. ( 1996). Südtirol. In R. Hinderling & L. M. Eichinger (Eds.), Handbuch der mitteleuropäischen Sprachminderheiten (pp. 199-262). Tübingen, Germany: Narr.
33.
Eichinger, L. ( 2002). South Tyrol: German and Italian in a changing world. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 23, 137-149.
34.
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.- G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences . Behavioral Research Methods, 39, 175-191.
35.
Frare, M., Axia, G., & Battistella, P.A. (2002). Quality of life, coping strategies and family routines in children with headache. Headache, 42, 953-962.
36.
Friedlmeier, W., & Trommsdorff, G. (1999). Emotion regulation in early childhood: A cross-cultural comparison between German and Japanese toddlers . Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30, 684-711.
37.
Gallimore, R., Goldenberg, C.N., & Weisner, T.S. ( 1993). The social construction and subjective reality of activity settings: Implications for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 21, 537-559.
38.
Greenfield, P.M., Keller, H., Fuligni, A., & Maynard, A. ( 2003). Cultural pathways through universal development. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 461-490.
39.
Harkness, S., Super, C.M., Moscardino, U., Rha, J.H., Blom, M., Huitron, B., . . . Palacios, J. ( 2007). Cultural models and developmental agendas: Implications for arousal and self-regulation in early infancy. Journal of Developmental Processes, 2, 5-39.
40.
Holman, J., & Bruininks, R. ( 1985). Assessment and training of adaptive behaviour. In K. C. Lakin & R. H. Bruininks (Eds.), Strategies for achieving community integration of developmentally disabled citizens (pp. 73-104). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks.
41.
Kamphaus, R.W. ( 1987). Conceptual and psychometric issues in the assessment of adaptive behavior. Journal of Special Education, 21, 27-35.
42.
Keith, T.Z., Fehrman, P.G., Harrison, P.L., & Pottebaum, S.M. (1987). The relation between adaptive behavior and intelligence: Testing alternative explanations. Journal of School Psychology, 25, 33-43.
43.
Keith, T.Z., Harrison, P.L., & Ehly, S.W. ( 1987). Effects of adaptive behavior on achievement: Path analysis of a national sample. Professional School Psychology, 2, 205-215.
44.
Keller, H., & Lamm, B. ( 2005). Parenting as the expression of sociohistorical time: The case of German individualisation. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29, 238-246.
45.
Keller, H., Lamm, B., Abels, M., Yovsi, R., Borke, J., Jensen, H., . . . Chaudhari, N. ( 2006). Cultural models, socialization goals, and parenting ethnotheories: A multicultural analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology , 37, 155-172.
46.
Kessen, W. ( 1979). The American child and other cultural inventions. American Psychologist, 34, 815-820.
47.
Kirchler, E., & Zani, B. ( 1989). Strategie di differenziazione tra gruppi etnici: Italiani e Tedeschi in Alto Adige. Giornale Italiano di Psicologia , XVI, 1, 61-79.
48.
MacPhee, D. ( 1981). Manual: Knowledge of infant development inventory. Unpublished manuscript, University of North Carolina.
49.
Marín, G., & Marín, B.V. (1991). Research with Hispanic populations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
50.
Masten, A.S., & Coatsworth, J.D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children. American Psychologist, 53, 205-220.
51.
Milan, S., Snow, S., & Belay, S. ( 2007). The context of preschool children’s sleep: Racial/ethnic differences in sleep locations, routines, and concerns. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 20-28.
52.
Miller, S. ( 1988). Parents’ beliefs about children’s cognitive development. Child Development, 59, 259-285.
53.
New, R.S. ( 1988). Parental goals and Italian infant care. New Directions for Child Development, 40, 51-63.
54.
New, R.S. ( 1989). The family context of Italian infant care. Early Child Development and Care, 50, 99-108.
55.
New, R.S. ( 1994). Child’s play - una cosa naturale: An Italian perspective . In J. L. Roopnarine, J. E. Johnson, & F. H. Hooper (Eds.), Children’s play in diverse cultures (pp. 123-147) Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
56.
New, R.S., & Richman, A.L. ( 1996). Maternal beliefs and infant care practices in Italy and the United States. In S. Harkness & C. M. Super (Eds.), Parents’ cultural belief systems: Their origins, expressions, and consequences (pp. 385-404). New York: Guilford.
57.
Newmark, C.S. ( 1989). Major psychological assessment instruments. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
58.
Parke, R.D. ( 2002). Fathers and families. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 3. Status and social conditions of parenting (2nd ed., pp. 27-73). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
59.
Peterlini, O. ( 1997). Autonomie und Minderheitenschutz in Trentino-Südtirol: Überblick über Geschichte, Recht und Politik. Wien, Austria: Braumüller.
60.
Riehl, C.M. ( 2000). Deutsch in Südtirol. In J. Wirrer (Ed.), Minderheiten- und Regionalsprachen in Europa (pp. 237-248). Opladen, Germany: Westdeutscher Verlag.
Sparrow, S.S., & Cichetti, D.V. (1978). Behavior rating inventory for moderately, severely, and profoundly retarded persons. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 82, 365-374.
63.
Stern, D. ( 1995). The motherhood constellation. New York, NY: Basic Books.
64.
Streiner, D.L. ( 2003). Being inconsistent about consistency: When coefficient alpha does and doesn’t matter. Journal of Personality Assessment, 80, 217-222.
65.
Tabachnick, B.G., & Fidell, L.S. ( 1996). Using multivariate statistics. New York, NY: Harper Collins.
66.
Taverna, L. ( 2008). I comportamenti adattivi nei bambini di età prescolare: Gruppo linguistico italiano e tedesco in Alto Adige a confronto. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Padua University, Padua, Italy.
67.
Tremolada, M., Axia, G., Pillon, M., Scrimin, S., Capello, F., & Zanesco, L. ( 2005). Parental narratives of quality of life in children with leukemia as associated with the placement of central venous catheter. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 30, 544-552.
68.
Trivers, R. ( 1986). Social evolution. Menlo Park, CA: Benjamin Cummings.
69.
Tombokan-Runtukahu, J., & Nitko, A.J. ( 1992). Translation, cultural adjustment, and validation of a measure of adaptive behavior. Research in Developmental Disabilities , 13, 481-501.
70.
Valentin, S.R. ( 2005). Sleep in German infants-The "cult" of independence. Pediatrics, 115, 269-271.
71.
van de Vijver, F.J.R., & Leung, K. ( 1997). Methods and data analysis for cross-cultural research . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
72.
Weinraub, M., & Wolf, B.M. ( 1983). Effects of stress and social supports on mother-child interactions in single- and two-parent families. Child Development , 54, 1297-1311.
73.
Weisner, T.S. ( 1984). Ecocultural niches of middle childhood: A cross-cultural perspective. In W. A. Collins (Ed.), Development during middle childhood (pp. 335-369). Washington, DC: Nation Academy Press.
74.
Weisner, T.S. ( 1997). The Ecocultural Project of Human Development: Why ethnography and its findings matter. Ethos, 25, 177-190.
75.
Weisner, T.S., Coots, J., & Bernheimer, L. (1997). The Ecocultural Family Interview manual. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Culture and Health.
76.
Weisner, T.S., & Gallimore, R. ( 1977). My brother’s keeper: Child and sibling caretaking . Current Anthropology, 18, 169-190.
77.
Welles-Nyström, B., New, R., & Richman, A. ( 1994). The "good mother": A comparative study of Swedish, Italian and American maternal behavior and goals. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 8, 81-86.
78.
Wolf, E.R., & Cole, J.W. ( 1974). The hidden frontier. New York, NY : Academic Press.
