A Comparison of Sensorimotor Development among Infants in India and the United States

Abstract

To investigate the influence of differential experiences on sensorimotor development, 154 full-term infants reared in urban settings (83 Indian, 71 United States) between 7 and 12 months of age were administered portions of the Casati-Lezine sensorimotor series. Results indicated small but significant group differences at 9 to 10 and 11 to 12 months of age on hidden object and intermediaries tasks. Differences noted on the hidden object task were attributed more to care-giver behavior in the test situation than to infant capability. The intermediaries task, object and support, was the major group differentiator according to discriminant analyses. These differences were attributed to a subtle task demand which may be more difficult for infants whose gross motor explorations are temporarily limited by care-giving practices.

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