A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF JAPANESE AND AMERICAN MOTHER-INFANT INTERACTIONS

Thirteen Japanese and five American mother-infant relationships were o bserved longitudinally during the first year of infants' lives in thei r homes. There were few infant differences, but maternal behaviors and mother-infant interactions did differ. American mothers vocalized to and touched their infants more, and interactions between American dyad s were more than between Japanese dyads. Developmental changes in infa nt behaviors, maternal behaviors, and mother-infant interaction were o bserved, understanding the necessity of longitudinal studies of mother -infant interactions, especially across culture.