Studying Cross-Cultural Differences in the Development of Infant Temperament: People's Republic of China, the United States of America, and Spain

Investigated early development of temperament across three cultures: People's Republic of China (PRC), United States of America (US), and Spain, utilizing a longitudinal design (assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months of age). Selection of these countries presented an opportunity to conduct Eastern-W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child psychiatry and human development 2006-12, Vol.37 (2), p.145-161
Main Authors: Gartstein, Maria A, Gonzalez, Carmen, Carranza, Jose A, Ahadi, Stephan A, Ye, Renmin, Rothbart, Mary K, Yang, Suh Wen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assessment
Biological and medical sciences
Child development
China
Cross Cultural Studies
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Cultural Differences
Developmental psychology
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Foreign Countries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Infant
Infant Behavior
Infants
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mothers
Newborn. Infant
Personality
Personality Development
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Questionnaires
Sample Size
Spain
Surveys and Questionnaires
Temperament
United States
Young Children
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Summary:Investigated early development of temperament across three cultures: People's Republic of China (PRC), United States of America (US), and Spain, utilizing a longitudinal design (assessments at 3, 6, and 9 months of age). Selection of these countries presented an opportunity to conduct Eastern-Western/Individualistic-Collectivistic comparisons. The greatest number of significant differences (i.e., involving more temperament dimensions) was anticipated for the US (Western/Individualistic) and PRC (Eastern/Collectivistic) comparisons. The US sample included 66, the PRC group 69, and the Spanish sample, 60 mothers, all of whom completed the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) 3 times, when their infants were 3, 6, and 9 months of age. Results related to mean group differences were generally consistent with our hypotheses, demonstrating a greater number of significant differences for US versus PRC, with fewer differences observed for US and Spain. Analyses addressing developmental changes in temperament indicated patterns consistent with a priori expectations and cross-cultural differences.
ISSN:0009-398X
1573-3327
DOI:10.1007/s10578-006-0025-6