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A longitudinal study of mothers' and preschool children's aversive behaviors during dyadic interactions
M D Kalpidou1, F Rothbaum, K S Rosen
1Department of Child Development, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA.
Insights
Preschool children
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Self-regulation is crucial for children's social and emotional development.
- Understanding the early development of self-regulation requires examining parent-child interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in preschool children's self-regulation.
- To assess reciprocal influences between maternal and child behaviors during development.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 44 mother-dyads in experimental settings.
- Assessment of children's and mothers' aversive behaviors.
- Analysis of mutual reinforcement of aversive behaviors.
Main Results:
- Children exhibited a decrease in aversive behaviors with age.
- Mothers showed a parallel decrease in aversive and reinforcing behaviors.
- Concurrent associations between maternal and child behaviors were identified.
Conclusions:
- Mother-child interactions demonstrate reciprocity in self-regulation development.
- Early dyadic interactions play a significant role in shaping self-regulation skills.
Abstract:
The development of self-regulation of preschool children (21-48 months old) was explored by assessing age-related changes in (a) children's aversive behaviors (e.g., noncompliance, physically negative behavior), (b) mothers' aversive behaviors, and (c) each party's reinforcement of the other's aversive behaviors. Mother-child interactions of 44 dyads were observed in a variety of experimental situations. The results indicated a decrease in aversive behaviors of children and a parallel decrease in mothers' aversive and reinforcing behaviors. These findings, as well as concurrent associations between mother and child behaviors, provide evidence of mother-child reciprocity in the development of self-regulation.