Results from an Empirical Study: The impact of carrying a child on the back on the development of visual integration pathways

Optimal cognitive development and maturation depends on optimal auditory, visual and tactile-kinesthetic perception. It is therefore important that an infant should be actively involved and participate physically in the mastery of concrete objects during Piaget's sensorimotor stage. In a previous study, Pretorius and coworkers postulated that cultural behavior such as Pêpa (carrying the baby on the mother's back) could have a negative impact on the development of visual integration pathways, as it prevents the child to crawl adequately or enough during the sensorimotor stage. To prove the hypothesis presented previously, we present results from an empirical study conducted in a black township in South Africa.

Keywords:

• Optimal Cognitive Development
• Sensorimotor Stage
• PêPa