Sociocultural Factors and Perinatal Development of Baganda Infants: The Precocity Issue

Infant development among the Baganda of Uganda is discussed from a
sociocultural perspective. Cross-cultural examples which illustrate cultural effects on infant behavior are
presented. In particular, the area of sensorimotor development is examined by means of a social survey, direct
observations and formal testing during the Muganda infant’s first six or eight months of life. The pattern of
advancement found supports the view that parental values and childcare behaviors influence rate of infant
sensorimotor development. The issue of “African infant precocity” is discussed in terms of the importance of
sociocultural factors on infant development. The pre- and peri-natal development of infants is, in part, a cultural
phenomenon. We take culture to be those standards for behavior that members of a given society share and
learn through interaction with others of that social group. Such standards are learned through a process of
enculturation which was first defined by Herskovitz (1948:39-42) as the means by which an individual learns,
throughout the lifespan, to achieve competence in his or her culture. This process involves both conscious and
unconscious conditioning.