Growth and Development of Negro Infants.

In an effort to clarify some of the misconceptions about differences, a comparative study of a group of white and Negro infants was conducted in New Haven a number of years ago (5). On the basis of performance on the Gesell Developmental Schedules, the average New Haven Negro infant was found to be fully equal in behavioral development to the average New Haven white baby. . . . No outstanding characteristic was found which could be called a 'racial' difference, with the possible exception of a definite acceleration in gross motor behavior displayed by the Negroes (5, p. 42)This latter aspect of the New Haven findings, namely, the acceleration of gross motor behavior among Negro infants, is the main concern of the present investigation. It is postulated that early motor development, accelerated or otherwise, is not a racial characteristic but, instead, is related to the manner in which an infant is handled and cared for. As child rearing practices have been shown to vary with socio-economic class (i, 2, 3), the subjects for this study, although all Negroes, were selected from two sharply contrasting socio-economic backgrounds.