Planned conception and infant functioning at age three months: a cross-cultural study
The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
|January 1, 1993
Summary
Infant cognitive processing and maternal attachment are higher when conception is planned. This finding holds true across American and Greek infants at three months old, based on vocal response differences.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Infant Behavior
Background:
- Maternal perception of conception timing (planned vs. unplanned) may influence early infant development.
- Understanding cultural variations in early infant cognitive and attachment responses is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of planned versus unplanned conception on three-month-old infants' cognitive processing and maternal attachment.
- To examine these effects across two distinct cultural groups: American and Greek infants.
Main Methods:
- Categorized 53 American and 54 Greek infants' conceptions as planned or unplanned based on maternal reports.
- Assessed infant cognitive processing and attachment via differential vocal responses to mothers versus a female stranger at three months of age.
Main Results:
- Infants in the planned conception category exhibited higher levels of cognitive processing in both cultural groups.
- Infants from planned conceptions demonstrated stronger attachment to their mothers compared to those from unplanned conceptions.
- Differential vocal responses to mothers versus a stranger were more pronounced in the planned conception group.
Conclusions:
- The timing of conception, as perceived by mothers, is associated with significant differences in early infant cognitive and attachment development.
- These findings suggest a potential link between parental planning and infant socio-emotional and cognitive trajectories, irrespective of cultural background.
Keywords:
Age FactorsAmericasBehaviorBiologyBondingCaliforniaChild DevelopmentComparative StudiesCross-cultural ComparisonsDemographic FactorsDeveloped CountriesEuropeFamily And HouseholdFamily CharacteristicsFamily RelationshipsFertilityGreeceInfantInterpersonal RelationsMediterranean CountriesMothersNorth AmericaNorthern AmericaParentsPersonalityPersonality DevelopmentPopulationPopulation CharacteristicsPopulation DynamicsPregnancy, PlannedPregnancy, UnplannedPsychological FactorsReproductive BehaviorResearch MethodologyResearch ReportSouthern EuropeStudiesUnited StatesYouth
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