This study adopts a perspective of development as contextually situated, employing the notion of developmental niche that is composed of three sub-systems: social and physical environment, care practices, and the psychology of the caregivers. The aim of the study was to investigate the ideas and practices of the mothers, and the physical and social environment they offer to their children in a rural community of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Six mothers were observed at home with their children and filled a specific inventory. Mothers age varied from 19 to 32 years, and their educational level ranged from elementary to high school. Babies had from 1 month to 21 months. In general, the results suggest, as predicted by the model, an interaction between those components. They also indicate conceptions of maternity and development shared by members of this community, and allow considerations about the developmental niche of the children studied.
Developmental niche; rural environment; infant development