Cultural Differences in Stranger–Child Interactions

Abstract

This study analyzes the embodiment of stranger–child interaction in the cultural context of German middle-class families and Cameroonian Nso farming families. We videotaped 22 encounters between a female stranger and a 1-year-old child in both cultural contexts and developed a coding manual to microanalytically assess differences on the part of the stranger and the child during the first minute of their interaction. We demonstrate that the stranger and the child apply an interaction style that respects the cultural agenda of their cultural context: The German stranger shows a responsive-sensitive interaction style and considers the child’s mother’s reaction, whereas the Cameroonian stranger displays a directive interaction style without monitoring the child’s mother. Likewise, German children take initiatives during the interaction; Cameroonian children follow the suggestions of the stranger. Because stranger–child encounters are incorporated in the paradigm of the strange situation, our data challenge the cross-cultural validity of this procedure.