Early Social Cognitive Development in Baka Infants: Joint Attention, Behavior Control, Understanding of the Self Related to Others, Social Approaching, and Language Learning

Abstract

In this paper, the author presents a picture of early social development in infants growing up in a Baka hunter-gatherer community in eastern Cameroon. Interviews performed using the DESC confirmed that Baka mothers were aware of their infants’ development in social cognition. They demonstrated joint attention with their infants and provided scaffolding as they learned about objects in their environment. Infants’ ability to distinguish strangers from strangers and fear of strangers developed earlier than reported for Japanese infants. The rapid onset and stabilization of social cognition early in infancy suggests scaffolding, and mother-infant reciprocal exchanges are important in the development of communication and language.