Demonstrates that a mother's perceptions of and behavior toward an infant can be influenced by knowing whether the infant was born prematurely or full-term. Differences in maternal behavior arising from this knowledge appear to produce differences in the infant's behavior. (HOD)

Considers three questions: Do mothers of siblings show consistency in behavior to their children when observed with each child at 24 months? What stability is there in behavior of mothers toward their children from 12 to 24 months? Are sibling status or genetic factors related to differences between mothers in relative consistency or inconsistency…

Comparison of scores on the Child Behavior Checklist of 1,120 Flemish and 1,122 Dutch children, aged 6 to 12 years, found no differences between groups on total problem scores, higher scores for Dutch children on the Activities scale, and higher scores for Flemish children on the School scale. (DB)

Observed play of 52 toddlers with a set of socially stereotyped masculine, feminine, and neutral toys in a day care setting over 14 months to (1) determine the age at which toddlers consistently exhibit sex-stereotyped toy choices in a natural setting and (2) investigate relation of parents' expectations and the children's own knowledge of gender…

This study investigated several questions concerning the amount of viewing and types of programs children and parents watch alone and together. Patterns of children's viewing with and without parents were examined, as well as how parent-child coviewing affects individual family members' viewing. Children 3 to 5 and 5 to 7 years old, and their…

Identifies reliable mother action-child reaction patterns and assesses the effect of maternal consequences for those patterns on the probability of their subsequent occurrence. (HOD)

The marital relationship may have indirect, or second order socialization effects on the parent child relationship. To investigate the second order socialization effects in parent adolescent relatioships, 44 mostly white, middle-class families with a 13-year-old adolescent child were videotaped in three separate situations: adolescent with mother,…

Discusses the possible relationships between family socialization agents and gender schemata. Focuses on the interplay of the two types of family variables--distal and proximal--and gender schemata. Distal variables discussed are: (1) socioeconomic level; (2) ethnicity; (3) intact versus one-parent families; (4) maternal employment and sibling…

Describes two studies that examined (1) whether negative evaluations of parents by day care staff should be viewed as a problem in the relationship between caregivers and families and (2) whether children experience day care differently as a function of staff attitudes about the caregiving abilities of their parents. (HOD)

Fifty-two adolescent mothers were observed at home interacting with their six-month-old infants and male partners and questioned independently about their dyadic relationships, social support networks, and life stresses. Showed mothers interacted much more actively with the infants than did fathers. (HOD)

This study found that siblings (n=19) of severely autistic children, siblings of children with Down's syndrome, and siblings of normal children did not differ on measures of perceived self-competence or parents' report of social competence. Siblings of autistic children had more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than siblings of…

Examines the child-rearing attitudes and behavior of 96 mothers of preschool children living in mining and rural towns in inland Australia in terms of the influences of three factors outside the home: father's absence because of work demands, community characteristics, and mother's informational support. (HOD)