ERIC Number: EJ782918
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 17
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0885-2006
EISSN: N/A
The Joint Influence of Mother and Father Parenting on Child Cognitive Outcomes at Age 5
Martin, Anne; Ryan, Rebecca M.; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v22 n4 p423-439 2007
Few studies of parenting have considered the possibility that the association between one parent's supportive parenting and a child's early cognition is moderated by the other parent's supportiveness. We test this proposition using a low-income sample of coresident couples. In addition, we cross-classify parents within couples according to their parenting behaviors to test for homogamy. Mothers and fathers were videotaped during separate free-play dyadic interactions with their 2-year-old child, and each parent's behavior was coded according to six scales. K-means cluster analysis was used to describe each parent's pattern of parenting behaviors. Parents were then cross-classified within couples by pattern. There was mixed evidence of homogamous parenting styles within couples. After parents were consolidated into four primary pairings, children in each of these pairings were compared on age 5 math and language scores. Children with two supportive parents scored highest, while those with two unsupportive parents scored lowest. Among children with one supportive parent, the sex of that parent was inconsequential. There were no significant interactions between maternal and paternal supportiveness on either math or language. Thus, it appears that in this low-income sample the combined effects of maternal and paternal supportiveness are additive.
Descriptors: Parenting Styles, Child Rearing, Parent Child Relationship, Multivariate Analysis, Parent Influence, Cognitive Development, Young Children, Child Development, Correlation, Low Income Groups, Play, Interaction, Mathematics Skills, Language Skills, Scores
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2131
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A