The effects of continuous nurturance and nurturance withdrawal on children's behavior: a partial replication

This research replicates and extends a study by Hartrup (1958) of the effects of continuous nurturance and nurturance withdrawal on children's behavior. Kindergarten and second-grade children interacted with either a continuously nurturant adult or an adult who was initially nurturant and then withdrew nurturance. A questionnaire was administered to assess children's perceptions of thier experiences and their perceptions of the reasons for the adult's withdrawal. Sessions ended after an assessment of the adult's social reinforcer effectiveness. The results indicated that the adult's social reinforcer effectiveness was an interaction of the effects of sex, children's frequency of verbalization, and nurturance condition. The results partially replicated Hartrup's (1958) and are discussed in terms of suggestions for future research on less complex contrasts between adult interaction patterns.