Cross-cultural research demonstrates that children around the world reach language milestones in a highly similar sequence. For instance, infants across all cultures coo before they babble, begin babbling at approximately the same age, and utter their first word at around 12 months old (Gleitman & Newport, 1995).

Example of Universal Language Milestone Sequence

Stage theories of development assert that the sequence of human development is universal across all children. From this perspective, children regardless of their culture progress through the same stages and achieve developmental milestones in a highly similar sequence.

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While some developmental sequences are considered universal, others are significantly shaped by cultural context. Stage theories, for example, suggest a universal progression for milestones like language acquisition, where children across all cultures follow a similar sequence from cooing to babbling to their first words. In contrast, other milestones, particularly in motor development, are influenced by cultural child care practices, which can accelerate or inhibit skills such as sitting, crawling, and walking. This demonstrates that while some milestones are universal, development can also follow many courses depending on cultural factors.

Universal vs. Culturally Specific Developmental Milestones

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

The Aché society in Paraguay provides a clear example of how cultural child-rearing practices influence the timing of motor development milestones. To protect their children while foraging in the forest, Aché mothers carry them extensively, rarely putting them down. This practice leads to a delayed onset of walking, with children taking their first steps around 23–25 months old, significantly later than the 12-month average in many Western cultures. However, this early delay does not hinder long-term motor proficiency; by age 9, Aché children exhibit advanced motor skills, such as climbing tall trees and handling tools like machetes, surpassing their U.S. peers. This case demonstrates that while basic motor functions are universal, their developmental timeline is shaped by specific cultural contexts.

Cultural Influence on Motor Development: The Aché Society

Universal Sequence of Development in Stage Theories

Motor development milestones, such as sitting, crawling, and walking, do not follow a single, identical course for all children regardless of culture. Because cultural child care practices vary, different practices can accelerate or inhibit a child's achievement of these physical milestones (Karasik et al., 2010).

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