RUI: An Investigation of Short and Long Term Effects of Cradling on Development

许多发展理论都建立在这样一个前提之上，即自由活动对于婴儿的健康发育是必要的，而限制活动是有害的。然而，这些理论是基于对西方婴儿的研究，这些婴儿的照顾者使用鼓励行动的育儿做法，与在孤儿院等贫困环境中长大的儿童进行比较，在这些环境中，他们被剥夺了自由行动的机会，但也被剥夺了社会互动和情感。在如此贫困的环境中长大的婴儿表现出全面的发育迟缓，这并不一定与行动受限直接相关。该项目利用了一次难得的机会，通过研究中亚塔吉克斯坦的“Gahvora”摇篮的使用情况，研究限制活动对婴儿发育的长期影响。婴儿在加赫沃拉的活动受到限制，但这些婴儿沉浸在家庭生活中，因此没有被剥夺社交机会。研究人员Karasik、Adolph和Tamis-Lemonda基于他们由NSF资助的横断面研究的结果，在该研究中，他们描述了婴儿时期摇篮使用的变化，并探索了它与运动发育的变化之间的关系。目前的项目采用纵向抽样的方法，研究12至20个月大婴儿在婴儿期限制活动对运动技能的同时影响，以及在3至5岁停止使用摇篮后的长期后果。本研究探讨了发展心理学中的核心问题，包括早期运动经验和限制运动对婴幼儿运动发育的影响。特别是，这项研究探讨了限制是否对运动发育有直接和长期的影响。数据将通过Databrary.org视频数据共享库与更广泛的科学界共享。该项目将通过提供研究方法和发展科学方面的培训，吸引美国和国外的本科生和研究人员。

Many developmental theories are built on the premise that freedom to move is necessary for healthy infant development and restricted movement is harmful. However, these theories were based on studies comparing Western infants whose caregivers used childrearing practices that encourage movement to children reared in impoverished environments such as orphanages in which they are deprived of opportunities to move freely but are also deprived of social interaction and affection. Infants raised in such impoverished environments display sweeping developmental delays that are not necessarily tied directly to restricted movement. This project capitalizes on a rare chance to study long-term effects of restricted movement on infant development by examining the use of a "gahvora" cradle in Tajikistan, Central Asia. Infants experience restricted movement in the gahvora but these infants are immersed in family life and therefore not otherwise deprived of social interaction. Investigators Karasik, Adolph, and Tamis-LeMonda build upon the findings from their NSF-funded cross-sectional study in which they characterized variation in cradle use in infancy and explored how it relates to variability in motor development. The current project uses longitudinal sampling to examine concurrent effects of restricted movement on motor skills in infancy in 12- to 20-month-olds and long-term consequences after cradle use has ceased, at three to five years of age. This work will also provide insights into cascading effects of infant motor skills on development in other domains such as interactions with objects and people.This study examines core issues in developmental psychology, including the effects of early motor experience and restricted movement on infant and child motor development. In particular, the study addresses whether restriction has immediate and long-lasting influence on motor development. Data will be shared with the broader scientific community through the Databrary.org video data-sharing library. This project will engage undergraduate students and researchers in the U.S. and abroad by offering training in research methods and developmental science.