Cross-Cultural Comparison of Focused Attention in Infants from Tajikistan and the United States

Abrar Alzandani, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in Psychology and minor in Biology 

For my capstone project, I explored the development of Tajik infants in comparison to Western infants under the mentorship of Drs. Berger and Karasik. I was interested in understanding how culturally specific childrearing practices impact the information processing capabilities of infants.

Tajikistan, located in Central Asia, is an underrepresented area in child development research. This motivated my exploration into the developmental pattern of Tajik infants. I was also interested in the cultural significance of gahvora cradling, a practice I later discovered was common in several other countries as well. Through a review of articles and studies, I found out that Tajik infants have later motor onsets compared to Western infants, further piquing my interest in the topic.

Initially, I expected that doing an honors thesis would feel like a rigid academic task. However, it became a more personal and creative process. This project began in the fall of 2023, when I first joined the Child Development Lab at CSI. I was assigned to develop a research question and study design. After doing literature reviews and compiling a bibliography, I started to feel as though I was contributing a significant discourse to this area of research.

One of my biggest challenges was narrowing down my focus for the study. There were many directions this study could have gone with the amount of information from the compiled bibliography. Many times, the aims and hypotheses of the study were revised, making it difficult to know what information needed to be kept and what had to be eliminated. There were also times when my findings felt contradictory, making it difficult to remain confident in my ability to finish this study. Support from my advisors helped me most during these times, with discussions that helped clarify my thoughts and the process.

What surprised me most was how quick the writing phase for the thesis was. Before completing my thesis, I believed that the writing process would be the most time-consuming part. However, since I had completed each section of the study throughout my time in the lab, when it came to writing, I compiled all my notes and explained them more thoroughly. Although the writing process still involved a lot of feedback and revision, it unfolded more swiftly than I had anticipated.

To further expand on this research, I would address some limitations, specifically the use of samples derived from an archival data set. The original procedural design of the study was not structured as a formal focused attention task, which caused variability between the Tajik and Western samples. In future research, I would use a Tajik sample that has undergone the original focused attention task to increase the validity of the findings.

From this experience, I am not only taking away a deeper knowledge of my topic, but also stronger research and communication skills. During my time at the lab, I learned how to code using applications such as Datavyu and became experienced with using other applications like Databrary and Visme. Weekly lab meetings created a collaborative environment, allowing for discussions to take place, and taught me how to provide useful feedback to others. I’ve learned how to ask better questions, evaluate sources critically, and explain complex ideas in a clear way. Overall, this research experience has helped me grow as a thinker, writer, and problem-solver, which are important skills I will use beyond my academic journey.