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Perea-Velasco LP, Martínez-Fuentes MT, Pérez-López J. Changes in patterns of Early Mother-Child Interaction: A longitudinal study of the first 18 months of life. Infant Behav Dev 2023; 72:101858. [PMID: 37331247 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2023.101858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The main objective of the present longitudinal study is to describe the progression of early adult-child interactions between the first and second years of life. Changes identified in interactions are described, focusing on both the qualitative aspects of maternal responses, as well as maternal response latency to the child's behavior using a microanalytical methodology that collected data on maternal and child behavior in real-time without losing sight of the temporal dimension. PARTICIPANTS This study examined 52 mother-child dyads from intact families that presented no psychological, social, or biological risk factors at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. INSTRUMENT CITMI-R (early mother-child interaction coding system, revised edition) was used to assess early mother-infant interactions during free play sessions between mother and child the. RESULTS The results indicate that some components of maternal sensitivity improve as children progress towards the second year of life, detecting an increase in sensitive maternal behavior and a decrease in intrusive behavior in the evolutive observed period; moreover, regarding latency of maternal response, we observed that mothers of older children give more time for their children to explore, which stimulates autonomy. Finally, the implication of these results for intervention directed to optimizing early adult-child interactions are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María Teresa Martínez-Fuentes
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain
| | - Julio Pérez-López
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
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Salinas-Quiroz F, Rodríguez-Sánchez F, Cambón V, Silva P, Costa PA, Martínez A. Parental secure base support and child secure base use in mexican same-sex families. INTERPERSONA: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS 2022. [DOI: 10.5964/ijpr.6457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this research was to determine whether the well-documented link between heterosexual parents’ secure base support (i.e., sensitivity) and child secure base behavior (i.e., security) was present among Mexican same-sex families with 1-to 6-year-old-children. The sample included 22 child-caregiver dyads from four lesbian and four gay families. Four trained independent observers used the q-sort methodology (Maternal Behavior Q-set/Mother Behavior with Preschoolers Q-set and Attachment Q-set) to describe parents’ and children’s behavior, respectively. A robust regression model by Siegel method for predicting security with sensitivity as regressor was statistically significant for the whole sample with a statistical power of .89, consistent with the existing evidence in studies with different and same-sex families. Both sensitivity and attachment security are fundamentally relational constructs, not caregiver/child’s traits; they are relationship specific, as the results of the regression analysis showed. Despite the sample size, our findings prove attachment theory as a useful theoretical framework to study caregiver-child interactions no matter parents’ sexual orientation neither the family structure.
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Richter M, Fehringer K, Smith J, Pineda R. Parent-infant interaction in the NICU: Challenges in measurement. Early Hum Dev 2022; 170:105609. [PMID: 35752043 PMCID: PMC10072234 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2022.105609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parent-infant interaction is poorly understood among high-risk dyads in NICU settings. No parent-infant interaction measures are specifically designed for preterm infants within the NICU nor account for the education NICU parents receive to tailor their interactions based on the infant's cues. AIM To improve our understanding of a measure of parent-infant interaction in the NICU, we investigated relationships between parent-infant interaction scores on the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) and 1) socio-demographic and medical factors, 2) parent mental health and confidence, and 3) enhanced parental education (delivered as part of the Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences program) on tailoring interactions based on the infant's cues. METHOD Twenty-six preterm infants (born ≤32 weeks) had a video recorded oral feeding conducted by a parent in the NICU when the infant was 34-48 weeks postmenstrual age. A certified evaluator scored parent-infant interaction from the videos using the NCAFS. RESULTS Seventeen (65 %) parent-infant dyads scored below the 10th percentile on the total NCAFS score. Despite it being well-understood that parent-infant interaction is related to sociodemographic factors and parental mental health, there were no relationships between these factors and NCAFS scores in this study. Dyads who received enhanced parent education (n = 15) had lower NCAFS scores than dyads receiving usual care (n = 11) (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION It remains unclear if the standard measure of parent-infant interaction, NCAFS, captured positive and negative interactions in context of assessment of a high-risk dyad within the NICU setting. The utility of the NCAFS with preterm infants in the NICU was not supported by this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Richter
- University of Southern California, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America
| | - K Fehringer
- Self-employed, Ridgeway, CO 81432, United States of America
| | - J Smith
- Department of Quality, Safety, and Practice Excellence, St. Louis Children's Hospital, St Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - R Pineda
- University of Southern California, Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of America; Program in Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States of America; Gehr Family Center for Health Systems Science and Innovation, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America; Center for the Changing Family, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America.
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Rivero M, Vilaseca R, Cantero MJ, Navarro-Pardo E, Ferrer F, Valls-Vidal C, Bersabé RM. Parenting of Spanish mothers and fathers playing with their children at home. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266762. [PMID: 35648755 PMCID: PMC9159595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The aims of this study were to compare the parenting behaviors of mothers and fathers when evaluated in a free play situation at home and to study how these behaviors were related to the sociodemographic variables of the family. The study included 155 mothers and 155 fathers from the same families in Spain. The children (90 boys and 65 girls) were typically developing and were aged between 10 and 47 months old. The parents completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, and parenting behaviors in four domains (Affection, Responsiveness, Encouragement, and Teaching) were assessed from self-recorded videotapes, in accordance with the Spanish version of the PICCOLO. Our results showed both commonalities and differences between the mothers and fathers. The mean scores for the four parenting domains followed a similar pattern in both mothers and fathers: the highest mean score was in the Responsiveness domain, followed by the Affection, Encouragement, and the Teaching domains. Regarding the second aim, no differences were observed in parenting according to the child’s gender and the only domain related to the child’s age was mother’s Teaching. Mothers with a higher educational level scored higher on all parenting domains, except for Responsiveness. Family income was positively related to maternal Affection, Encouragement, and the total PICCOLO score, and to the father’s score in the Teaching domain. This study provides evidence that Spanish mothers and fathers show very similar strengths for promoting children’s development during interactions. These results are relevant to inform social public policies and family programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda Rivero
- Department of Cognition, Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Rosa Vilaseca
- Department of Cognition, Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - María-José Cantero
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Esperanza Navarro-Pardo
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Clara Valls-Vidal
- Department of Psychology, University Abat Oliba-CEU, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa M. Bersabé
- Department of Methodology for the Behavioral Sciences, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
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Grumi S, Pettenati G, Manfredini V, Provenzi L. Flexibility and organization in parent-child interaction through the lens of the dynamic system approach: A systematic review of State Space Grid studies. Infant Behav Dev 2022; 67:101722. [DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Della Porta SL, Sukmantari P, Howe N, Farhat F, Ross HS. Naturalistic Parent Teaching in the Home Environment During Early Childhood. Front Psychol 2022; 13:810400. [PMID: 35386906 PMCID: PMC8978720 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.810400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Children's sociocultural experiences in their day-to-day lives markedly play a key role in learning about the world. This study investigated parent-child teaching during early childhood as it naturally occurs in the home setting. Thirty-nine families' naturalistic interactions in the home setting were observed; 1033 teaching sequences were identified based on detailed transcriptions of verbal and non-verbal behavior. Within these sequences, three domains of learning (knowledge, skills, and dispositions) and subtopics were identified and analyzed in relation to gender, child birth order, context, teaching strategies, and learner response. Findings show knowledge, skills, and dispositions were taught equally, marked by the most prominent subtopics taught within each domain, including cognitive (skill), game rule (knowledge), and social rule (disposition). Further, mothers and fathers were found to teach their children equally, however, fathers taught knowledge more than mothers, whereas mothers taught dispositions more than fathers. Differences between domains of learning and subtopics also existed between mother's and father's teaching based on child birth order and gender. This study also assessed the contrast between teaching knowledge, skills, and dispositions by context, parent teaching strategies, and child learner response. Results support the notion that family interactions in the home setting set a stage for children's rich informal learning experiences. Vygotskian sociocultural conceptions underpin this research and findings are discussed using this central theoretical lens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Putri Sukmantari
- Department of Educational Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
| | - Nina Howe
- Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Fadwa Farhat
- Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hildy S. Ross
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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Simaes AC, Gago Galvagno LG, Passarini LA, Trenado RM, Elgier ÁM. Associations between maternal behavior, infant joint attention, and social vulnerability. COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Cerezo MA, Abdelmaseh M, Trenado RM, Pons-Salvador G, Bohr Y. The temporal dimension in the understanding of maternal sensitivity in caregiver-infant interactions: The 'Early Mother-Child Interaction Coding System'. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 63:101563. [PMID: 33848770 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Caregiver-child interaction is known to play a central role in children's socioemotional development, yet the diversity of measures commonly used to evaluate it call into question the nature of the construct being assessed. Contingency within caregiver-child interactions has been identified as a key dyadic process that requires taking a temporal perspective to evaluating interactions. The Early Mother-Child Interaction Coding System is a psychometrically sound measure that sequentially code the flow of interactive and non-interactive behaviours within a caregiver-infant system. Its use of the framework of nonlinear dynamical systems (NDS) expands our understanding of contingent caregiver-infant dyadic behaviour.
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Kokkinaki T, Vasdekis VGS. Beyond the Words: Comparing Interpersonal Engagement Between Maternal and Paternal Infant-Directed Speech Acts. Front Psychol 2020; 11:523551. [PMID: 33343435 PMCID: PMC7744289 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.523551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigates the way infants express their emotions in relation to parental feelings between maternal and paternal questions and direct requests. We therefore compared interpersonal engagement accompanying parental questions and direct requests between infant–mother and infant–father interactions. We video-recorded spontaneous communication between 11 infant–mother and 11 infant–father dyads—from the 2nd to the 6th month—in their home. The main results of this study are summarized as follows: (a) there are similarities in the way preverbal infants use their affections in spontaneous interactions with their mothers and fathers to express signs of sensitivity in sharing knowledge through questions and direct requests; and (b) the developmental trajectories of face-to-face emotional coordination in the course of parental questions descend in a similar way for both parents across the age range of this study. Regarding the developmental trajectories of emotional non-coordination, there is evidence of a linear trend in terms of age difference between the parents’ gender with fathers showing the steeper slope. The results are discussed in relation to the theory of intersubjectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theano Kokkinaki
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece
| | - Vassilis G S Vasdekis
- Department of Statistics, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece
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10
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Agostini F, Andrei F, Neri E, Trombini E, Nuccini F, Villani MT, Aguzzoli L, Paterlini M. Characteristics of Early Mother-Infant and Father-Infant Interactions: A Comparison between Assisted Reproductive Technology and Spontaneous Conceiving Parents. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17218215. [PMID: 33172139 PMCID: PMC7664381 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17218215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to describe parents’ and infant’s interactive styles after assisted reproduction treatments (ART), to compare them with parent–infant interactions after spontaneous conception (SC), and to assess the effect of specific ART variables (cause of infertility, treatment type, and previous ART attempts) on interaction quality. The sample included 25 ART conceiving couples and 31 SC couples with their 3-months-old babies. Free parent–infant interactions (3–5 min) were coded using the CARE-Index, a video-based assessment scale that gives both dimensional (e.g., sensitivity, control, passivity) and categorical scores (sensitive, inept, at-risk) for parents and infants. Results showed a global similarity between groups in CARE-Index dimensions. Nevertheless, differences emerged in categorical scores, as the interactive patterns of ART parents were more frequently classified as “inept” and “at-risk” compared to SC parents. With regards to ART dyads only, infants conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection scored significantly lower to the dimension compulsivity and higher to passivity, compared to infants conceived through in vitro fertilization. Yet, infants conceived at the first ART cycle had significantly lower levels of difficulty than infants conceived after one ART attempt. These results speak about the existence of important parent–infant interactive differences related to conception modality and ART technique and suggest the need to implement support programs to promote more sensitive parenting styles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Agostini
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (F.A.); (E.N.); (E.T.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Federica Andrei
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (F.A.); (E.N.); (E.T.)
| | - Erica Neri
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (F.A.); (E.N.); (E.T.)
| | - Elena Trombini
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy; (F.A.); (E.N.); (E.T.)
| | - Francesca Nuccini
- Department of Neonatology, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
| | - Maria Teresa Villani
- Center of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (M.T.V.); (L.A.)
| | - Lorenzo Aguzzoli
- Center of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy; (M.T.V.); (L.A.)
| | - Marcella Paterlini
- Department of Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy;
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11
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Thurman SL, Corbetta D. Using network analysis to capture developmental change: An illustration from infants' postural transitions. INFANCY 2020; 25:927-951. [PMID: 33022886 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Network analysis is a tool typically used to assess interrelationships between social entities in a system. In this methodological report, we introduce how concepts from network analysis can be utilized to capture, condense, and extract complex developmental changes in individual behaviors over time. Using infant postural-locomotor development as an example, we demonstrate how network analysis principles can be applied to rich empirical data. We used existing free-play data from 13 infants followed longitudinally as they progressed from sitting to walking. We documented the range of postures adopted during play, how often infants transitioned between postures in their postural networks, and derived parameters of density and centrality. Analysis revealed that posture network density increased after infants learned to crawl and gained crawling experience as one might expect, but density did not further expand with gains in upright locomotion. Certain postures held different roles in the overall posture network displayed by an infant, and these centrality patterns depended on the time period involved. More central postures in the network were not always postures in which infants spent the most time. We discuss how network analysis might be utilized to better understand infant behaviors in other contexts (e.g., problem-solving, interventions, humanoid robotics).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela Corbetta
- Department of Psychology, The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
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Rychlowska M, Vanderwert R. The Pacified Face: Early Embodiment Processes and the Use of Dummies. Front Psychol 2020; 11:387. [PMID: 32231618 PMCID: PMC7082417 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Few things affect us as much as facial expressions, as they inform us about others' feelings and intentions, thereby influencing our own emotions and behaviors. A substantial body of literature links the critical abilities of recognizing and understanding emotion displays with facial mimicry, a sensorimotor process involving rapid imitation of perceived expressions. For example, blocking or altering facial mimicry in adults leads to disruptions in judgments in emotion recognition or emotional language processing. The present review focuses on pacifier use in infancy, a common practice that has the potential to interfere with infants' facial movements in ways identical to laboratory paradigms designed to block facial mimicry. Despite this similarity and the widespread use of infant soothers, little is known about their long-term effects. Here we review studies exploring the psychological correlates and implications of pacifier use. In particular, we discuss how soothers may interfere with the development of social skills in infants and present evidence linking pacifier use with disrupted adults' mimicry of facial expressions displayed by infants. Other preliminary findings reveal negative correlations between the use of soothers and children's spontaneous facial mimicry as well as emotional competence of young adults. Such studies, although correlational, suggest that this widespread parenting practice may affect the development of social skills by influencing emotional coordination. We discuss the implications of these findings and propose avenues for future research that can provide insights into the role of embodied processes in the development of emotional competence and adult functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ross Vanderwert
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Kokkinaki T, Vasdekis V, Devouche E. Maternal and paternal infant-directed speech to girls and boys: An exploratory study. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2019.1646123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Theano Kokkinaki
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece
| | | | - Emmanuel Devouche
- Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
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Portell M, Sene-Mir AM, Anguera MT, Jonsson GK, Losada JL. Support System for the Assessment and Intervention During the Manual Material Handling Training at the Workplace: Contributions From the Systematic Observation. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1247. [PMID: 31231277 PMCID: PMC6560057 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Efficacy of classical manual material handling (MMH) training interventions on back pain prevention at the workplace has been called into question. The way that observation (self-observation or hetero-observation) is used in other areas to create feedback addressed to modify motor activities can justify innovative components for these interventions. However, their implementation and evaluation cannot be done without tackling the methodological challenge of developing a reliable observational instrument to measure manual handling practice during the training process. The aims of this study were: (1) justify and develop an hetero-observation (H-O) instrument to assess changes in the worker behavioral patterns with a level of analysis convenient to derive a parallel version for the systematic self-observation (S-O) during training on MMH; (2) provide evidence on the inter-rater reliability of the H-O instrument; (3) provide evidence on the usability of the S-O instrument and its perceived usefulness; and (4) provide evidence on the benefits that can be derived with the use of the H-O instrument to create feedback based on T-pattern and polar coordinate analysis. A mixed method approach mainly grounded on systematic observation was used. A convenience sample composed by blue-collar workers participated in the study. Based on literature review and expert opinion, the H-O instrument proposed was composed by six dimensions (feet, knee joints, back, elbow joints, load position, and interaction between back tilt and displacement) plus a structural dimension which defined MMH phases. The inter-rater reliability of this instrument was almost perfect for all dimensions using a tolerance level of 2 s (the range of time-unit kappa was from 0.93 to 0.97 and the range of event-based kappa was from 0.82 to 0.9). The usability and usefulness of the S-O instrument was highly valued by workers. Regarding the way to use hetero-observations to create feedback, the paper shows the great potential of T-pattern and polar coordinate analysis. The observational instruments developed combined with these techniques make it possible to characterize the body positions adopted during manual handling performance, and this is crucial to create feedback on performance instead of only feedback on results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariona Portell
- Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of Health Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Anna M. Sene-Mir
- Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre, University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia, Vic, Spain
| | - M. Teresa Anguera
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - José L. Losada
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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