Contextual Influences on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and Implications for Its Cross-Cultural Use

Abstract

The Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) developed by Brazelton and his associates (1973) is a means of evaluating the behavior of very young babies. Most of the 27 behavioral items reflect how a newborn responds to his or her immediate environment. They include orientation and response decrement to visual and auditory stimuli, control, and variability of state, and interpersonal responsivity. One of the explicit purposes of the scale, and its principle research application, is to provide a view of the infant which can help us understand a caretaker's response to him ... and thereby predict the kind of interaction he is likely to set up in his environment (Brazelton 1973, p. 3). The NBAS examination is usually done in the relatively homogeneous hospital setting. This standardization of context has been a critical procedure in facilitating research on groups of babies differing in important dimensions, such as nutritional status, gestational age, and ethnic background. Because the NBAS is generally used in the nursery, it has not been necessary for researchers to focus on the possible effects of variations in this context. Indeed, while both genetic and intrauterine factors are recognized as important in the manual of instruction (Brazelton 1973), the issue of