ABSTRACT
Infants are raised in an array of developmental niches that vary along psychosocial, geographic, and demographic dimensions (Lamb & Sternberg, 1992; Super & Harkness, 1986). Unfortunately, developmental psychologists have been somewhat inattentive to these variations, treating them as curiosities or irritations rather than crucial considerations in the search for an inclusive understanding of developmental processes. Descriptive research about divergent early experiences is especially important in light of the many unquestioned presumptions about the universality of developmental norms and principles. Research in various cultures and subcultures not only provides valuable data about basic developmental processes in different contexts, but also affords opportunities for obtaining a more comprehensive and representative picture of biobehavioral development. The long-term goal of the research described here is to explore developmental processes across developmental niches in order to identify transcultural principles of human development. The first step toward this goal required that we describe infant experiences in different rearing ecologies. Only by carefully studying children in diverse circumstances can we determine whether and how developmental trajectories and processes differ across cultures and thus, whether contemporary professional constructions of human development deserve to be widely generalized. Likewise, it is crucial to assess the extent to which behavior and interaction vary from one setting or observation session to another, in order for researchers to adequately and reliably sample the patterns in which they are interested (see Lewis, 1978; Lewis & Feiring, 1979, 1982).
