Using examples from the text, explain how cultural variations in infant-rearing practices affect motor development

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: In some cultures, sitting, crawling, and walking are deliberately discouraged or encouraged. Japanese mothers, for example, believe that it is unnecessary to deliberately encourage motor skills. The Zinacanteco Indians of southern Mexico and the Gusii of Kenya actively discourage rapid motor progress. Babies who walk before they know enough to keep away from cooking fires and weaving looms are viewed as dangerous to themselves and disruptive to others. In contrast, among the Kipsigis of Kenya and the West Indians of Jamaica, babies hold their heads up, sit alone, and walk considerably earlier than North American infants. In both societies, parents emphasize early motor maturity, practicing formal exercises to stimulate particular skills. Walking is promoted by frequently standing babies in adults' laps, bouncing them on their feet, and exercising the stepping reflex. These infants usually skip crawling because they are rarely put on the floor. Finally, the current Western practice of having babies sleep on their backs delays gross-motor milestones of rolling, sitting, and crawling. Regularly exposing infants to the tummy-lying position during waking hours prevents these delays.