A photographic survey of lateral cradling preferences in Black and White women

Abstract

The lateral cradling biases of Black and White women were examined by surveying photographs of women holding infants. The photographs were taken from a number of Black- and White-orientated popular periodicals. A systematic leftward bias in cradling was found in both Black and White women, suggesting that left-sided cradling is a universal maternal behaviour. The results were discussed in terms of their significance for a biogenetic model of the lateral cradling bias. © 1983, South African Psychological Association and the Psychological Institute of the Republic of South Africa. All rights reserved.