The effects of an observer's presence on maternal interactive behavior were examined through observation of mother-child pairs under informed and uninformed conditions. Results indicate mothers played with their children more, were more positive in their verbal behavior, and structured their children's activities more during the informed than…

The degree to which vocal accommodation occurred in the interaction of mothers with 27 infants 3- to 5-months old equally divided among three diagnostic groups (heart disease, Down Syndrome, and no known abnormalities) was investigated. Videotapes were made of the infants during 3 minutes of face-to-face play with their mothers. Tapes were coded…

The present study examines the relationship between observed behaviors and attitudes of black fathers and the association of these paternal measures with the self-esteem of their preschool children. This research is a part of a larger on-going study of black parent-child interaction and their relationship to the development of social competence of…

Two interviews with each of eighty-six children, three to five years of age, indicate that boys and girls can verbalize perceptions at this age. Perceptions and concepts relating to "goodness and "badness are categorized and illustrate sex patterns, role perception, and criteria for children's assessments. (Author)

An interaction analysis observation instrument, with categories found in the definition of "executive competence" by Wenar and related to R. White's effectance motivation, was used to observe 37 toddlers with their mothers. (SB)

A primary purpose of the present study was to further investigate the effects of children upon parents in order to gain a better understanding of the interactional relationship between parents and children. Subjects were 42 middle and upper-middle class parents and their daughters. Mothers and fathers were first observed separately with their…

Investigates the effects of social class (middle vs. lower) on verbal and nonverbal maternal controls, maternal sensitivity, and child compliance. Suggests current conceptualizations of lower class mother-child interaction need to be reconsidered since no social class differences were revealed in the experiments. (HOD)

Investigation concentrated on verbal and nonverbal variables of child-mother interactions as it pertains to the child's language development. (MB)

Examines verbal interactions of mothers and fathers with their school-age children (9 and 12 years of age) during structured sessions. Mothers, more than fathers, tend to use more problem-solving behaviors with their 9-year-olds than with their 12-year-olds and boys discriminate more than girls in their use of problem-solving behaviors with…

Reports the responses of 23 mothers of Down's Syndrome children to the Behavioral Style Questionnaire concerning the temperament characteristics of their child. Mothers were also interviewed with the Implicit Parental Learning Theory Scale and asked how they would handle certain specified child behaviors. (HOD)

It was suggested that working-class mothers less frequently believed that their infants were capable of communicating with other people, and hence felt it was futile to attempt to interact with them verbally. (Authors)

To assess mother-child interaction, 23 mother-child pairs from the West Harlem ghetto (half lower class and half middle class Negroes) and from Washington Square (white middle class) were observed. Children were 3-year-old boys. Each pair spent 30 minutes in a laboratory playroom and were observed and tape-recorded. Children's nonverbal…

Research supported in part by U.S.P.H.S. General Research Support grant 1-501-FR-5432-04, Graduate Psychiatry Training grant 3-TI-MH 5557-17-81; and by Children's Bureau Handicapped Child Research grant 11-4637.

Home and family conditions were found to have an effect on verbal interaction patterns between mothers and persons in the home. (Authors)