%0 Journal Article
%T Influence of Affordances in the Home Environment on Motor Development of Young Children in Japan
%A Shiro Mori
%A Hiroki Nakamoto
%A Hiroshi Mizuochi
%A Sachi Ikudome
%A Carl Gabbard
%J Child Development Research
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/898406
%X Previous research indicates that the home environment is a significant factor in early child development. The present study examined influence of the multidimensional home environment on young Japanese children¡¯s motor development. A Japanese translation of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Self Report (AHEMD-SR) was used to assess home motor affordances in 262 families. Motor ability was assessed by parental report using the Enjoji Infant Analytic Developmental Test. We also asked parents to rate their own physical activity in terms of level and years of experience. As results, we found that the home environment in Japan was generally sufficient for children¡¯s motor development and that children¡¯s access to Fine Motor Toys (FMT) and Gross Motor Toys (GMT) had the strongest influence on their development. Analysis also indicated that AHEMD-SR scores were higher for children of parents who had some level of physical activity experience compared to children whose parents indicated no physical activity experience. Parents¡¯ self-reported activity level was correlated with higher scores for the subscales FMT and GMT and for total AHEMD-SR score. These results indicate that both the physical and social-psychological environments (parental experience and views) of the home influenced children¡¯s motor development. 1. Introduction In the field of child development, environmental influences are considered critical factors for optimal growth and development. The home environment, in particular, is a primary agent for learning and development in children (see review by Son and Morrison [1]). Interestingly, one of the major findings in studies that assessed the general characteristics of the home and its relationship to a child¡¯s later behavior is that toy availability was a strong predictor of future mental behavior [2, 3]. Subsequent studies have focused on toy availability and motor development [2¨C4]; however, little is known about the multidimensional home environment and motor development. The multidimensional home environment includes not only physical factors (such as movement play equipment in the home and the presence of a nearby playground), but also social-psychological factors (such as number of playmates, family composition, and amount of parental attention). In addition, affordance is a fundamental concept in the ecological (affordance) theory for action [5, 6]. Hirose [7] stated that ¡°affordances are opportunities for action that objects, events, or places in the environment provide for the animal.¡± That is, action can be
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/cdr/2013/898406/