A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Sex Differences in the Behavior of Children Aged Three Through 11

This paper uses the cross-cultural, systematic child observations of the Six Culture Study, led by John and Beatrice Whiting of Harvard University, to investigate the validity of the stereotypes of sex differences about nurturance, aggression, compliance, dependency, and other behaviors. The children aged 3 – 11 years, were observed in natural settings in seven different parts of the world. The analysis indicates that there are universal sex differences in the children’s behavior, but the differences are not consistent nor as great as the studies of American and Western European children would suggest. Furthermore, socialization pressure in the form of task assignment and the associated frequency of interaction with many different categories of individuals—i.e. infants, adults, and peers—may well explain many of the differences. Aggression, perhaps especially rough and tumble play, and touching behavior seem the best candidates for biophysical genesis. All of the behaviors that are characteristic of males and females seem malleable under the impact of socialization pressures. The differences in many of the types of behavior seem to be one of style rather than intent

Why don't health workers prescribe ACT? A qualitative study of factors affecting the prescription of artemether-lumefantrine

BACKGROUND: Kenya recently changed its antimalarial drug policy to a specific artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), artemether-lumefantrine (AL). New national guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention were developed and disseminated to health workers together with in-service training. METHODS: Between January and March 2007, 36 in-depth interviews were conducted in five rural districts with health workers who attended in-service training and were non-adherent to the new guidelines. A further 20 interviews were undertaken with training facilitators and members of District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) to explore reasons underlying health workers' non-adherence. RESULTS: Health workers generally perceived AL as being tolerable and efficacious as compared to amodiaquine and sulphadoxine-pyremethamine. However, a number of key reasons for non-adherence were identified. Insufficient supply of AL was a major issue and hence fears of stock outs and concern about AL costs was an impediment to AL prescription. Training messages that contradicted the recommended guidelines also led to health worker non-adherence, compounded by a lack of follow-up supervision. In addition, the availability of non-recommended antimalarials such as amodiaquine caused prescription confusion. Some health workers and DHMT members maintained that shortage of staff had resulted in increased patient caseload affecting the delivery of the desirable quality of care and adherence to guidelines. CONCLUSION: The introduction of free efficacious ACTs in the public health sector in Kenya and other countries has major potential public health benefits for Africa. These may not be realized if provider prescription practices do not conform to the recommended treatment guidelines. It is essential that high quality training, drug supply and supervision work synergistically to ensure appropriate case management

Between Will and Thought: Individualism and Social Responsiveness in Amazonian Child Rearing

This essay provides an ethnographic account of how moral dispositions towards independence and social responsiveness are forged during infancy and toddlerhood among the Runa, an indigenous people in the Ecuadorian Amazon. I will show how two local concepts, munay (will) and yuyay (thought) shape children’s early experiences of the self and the self in relation to others. In particular, I will argue that, unlike middle class Anglo-Americans who repute paternal responsiveness to be necessary for a “healthy” child development, Runa adults strategically chose not to respond to children’s will in order to make them “thoughtful”. Such state of thoughtfulness, I argue, emerges from socialization practices which stress a child’s unique will while at the same time forcefully encourage the development of social responsiveness

Six Cultures Study: Orchard Town, 1954-1955

This data set is part of a larger cross-cultural study which explored the relation between patterns of child rearing and their impact on personality development both within and across cultures. The study was designed to determine the degree to which experiences in early childhood influence behavior, perceptions of the world, life-philosophies, religious beliefs and codes of ethics in adulthood. A pair of investigators moved into a New England neighborhood to study a group of mothers to be used in the cross-cultural comparison. Using the same ethnographic methods applied by all the field teams stationed around the world, this study examined the child-training practices and the hypothesized individual and cultural differences in personality, especially in the areas of aggression, dependency, and the internalization of various mechanisms of behavior control. In order to provide an ethnographic perspective, a group of participants who were familiar (neighbors) with one another were observed. Twenty-four mothers were studied in relationship to one of their children, and each of the 24 children (ages three to 10) was observed and interviewed. Child observations were made in the various settings in which the child spent his/her time (e.g., breakfast at home, playing in the schoolyard), including situations that arose within these settings (such as insults or reprimands), and the child's responses to these situations (e.g., self-reliance, obedience, aggression, etc.). Parent interviews focused on care-taking behaviors (e.g., weaning and self-reliance training, nurturance, sociability, etc.). The children were also interviewed and administered Thematic Apperception Tests (TATs). The Murray Research Archive holds copies of the original observational records of the children, and the parent and child interviews for the twenty-four mothers and twenty-four children

The Forgotten Coast: A Synthesis of Current Knowledge of Southern Chukchi Sea Lagoon Ecosystems

In the Southern Chukchi Sea Region (SCSR) of the Alaskan Arctic, approximately 40% of the coastline consists of freshwater-brackish lagoons and the gravel spits that separate them from the ocean. These lagoons are important rearing, feeding, and spawning habitats for diverse fish and invertebrate assemblages composed of freshwater, diadromous, and marine taxa. Many of these species are prey for a suite of marine mammals and avian predators in addition to being important to the food security of subsistence users from the surrounding region. Despite recognition of the ecological and cultural importance of these habitats from as far back as the 1950s, the body of knowledge surrounding lagoons of the SCSR contains many knowledge gaps and fails to comprehensively capture the dynamic nature of both biotic and abiotic factors that define the functional ecology of these habitats. This report synthesizes the available knowledge of SCSR lagoons, including geomorphology, hydrology, food web structure, and local knowledge. We also recommend avenues of future study, such as characterizing the basal trophic levels of lagoon food webs. Only by constructing a more detailed and comprehensive knowledge base of SCSR lagoon ecology will management and conservation efforts in the region be able to address and mitigate potential threats resulting from expanding infrastructure and global climate change, while simultaneously supporting the diverse portfolio of lagoon habitats that have a vital role in regional subsistence practices and food security. Dans la région sud de la mer des Tchouktches (SCSR) de l’Arctique alaskien, environ 40 % du littoral est composé de lagunes d’eau douce et d’eau saumâtre ainsi que de flèches littorales en gravier les séparant de l’océan. Ces lagunes sont d’importants habitats d’alevinage, d’alimentation et de frai pour divers assemblages de poissons et d’invertébrés composés de taxons d’eau douce, de taxons diadromes et de taxons marins. Grand nombre de ces espèces servent de proies à un ensemble de mammifères marins et de prédateurs aviaires en plus de jouer un rôle important en matière de sécurité alimentaire chez les utilisateurs de subsistance de la région environnante. Même si la reconnaissance de l’importance écologique et culturelle de ces habitats remonte aux années 1950, l’ensemble de connaissances entourant les lagunes de la SCSR comporte de nombreux écarts et ne saisit pas entièrement la nature dynamique des facteurs biotiques et abiotiques qui définissent l’écologie fonctionnelle de ces habitats. Ce rapport synthétise les connaissances actuelles au sujet des lagunes de la SCSR, y compris la géomorphologie, l’hydrologie, la structure du réseau alimentaire et les connaissances locales. Nous recommandons aussi des possibilités d’études futures, comme la caractérisation des niveaux trophiques de base des réseaux alimentaires des lagunes. Seule l’élaboration d’une base de connaissances plus exhaustive et détaillée de l’écologie des lagunes de la SCSR permettra aux efforts de gestion et de conservation déployés dans la région de gérer et d’atténuer les menaces découlant de l’expansion des infrastructures et du changement climatique mondial tout en soutenant simultanément la gamme diverse d’habitats de lagunes qui jouent un rôle vital dans les pratiques de subsistance et la sécurité alimentaire de la région.

Some Sunday morning : popular edition ; song

Gift of Dr. Mary Jane Esplen.Piano vocal [instrumentation]We've been keeping company quite a while [first line]Some Sunday morning when the weather's fine [first line of chorus]A flat [key]Moderato [tempo]Popular song [form/genre]Flowers grass birds ; Beatrice Lambert (photograph) [illustration]Starmer [graphic artist]Publisher's advertisement on back cover [note