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WEIRD walking: Cross-cultural research on motor development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2010

Lana B. Karasik
Affiliation:
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, MD 20892-7971. lana.karasik@nih.govMarc_H_Bornstein@nih.gov
Karen E. Adolph
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003. karen.adolph@nyu.educatherine.tamis-lemonda@nyu.edu
Catherine S. Tamis-LeMonda
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003. karen.adolph@nyu.educatherine.tamis-lemonda@nyu.edu
Marc H. Bornstein
Affiliation:
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, MD 20892-7971. lana.karasik@nih.govMarc_H_Bornstein@nih.gov

Abstract

Motor development – traditionally studied in WEIRD populations – falls victim to assumptions of universality similar to other domains described by Henrich et al. However, cross-cultural research illustrates the extraordinary diversity that is normal in motor skill acquisition. Indeed, motor development provides an important domain for evaluating cultural challenges to a general behavioral science.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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