Mirror game: differences between urban and Mapuche rural mother-infant dyads

Abstract

Body image is a cognitive construction, the precursor of identity, based on the experience with a mirror. The mother and the child use this external device in a complex representational game prior to language. 

Objective: To describe and analyze the mirror-child interaction and mother-child-mirror game to identify the construction of realities and representations in preverbal children by comparing two different populations of the Chilean culture. 

Subjects and Methods: qualitative and quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive and comparative study where categories of interaction between mother and child in the mirror are created and their association with sociodemographic variables are evaluated. 49 Mapuche rural and urban mother-child interaction videos in the presence of a mirror at eating and feeding times are assessed, interactional categories emerged which become the observation instrument used. 

Results: Different ways to play from the child perspective and the mother-child dyad are reported in different degrees of cognitive and relational complexity, significant differences between both populations are observed. Urban children developed integrated games (p 0.0013) and games of four players (p 0.001), while the Mapuche play mostly by themselves (p 0.0014). Infants older than 13 months make more complex games (p 0.026). The parallel (not looking at the mirror) and the dyadic game correlate positively with the rural unmarried Mapuche mother, and if there is a history of alcoholism and depression, they are prompt to play in groups of four. 

Conclusions: Qbservation categories and stages of relational complexity in front of the mirror emerged, which reflect the cognitive and relational development of children. Differences were observed in the study populations, possibly due to cultural differences. It is suggested to use this study as development diagnosis and monitoring.