
ERIC Number: ED025298
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1967
Pages: 12
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Role of Mothers' Language Styles in Mediating Their Preschool Children's Cognitive Development.
Olim, Ellis G.; And Others
The School Review, v75 n4 p414-24 Winter 1967
A study relating mothers' language styles and techniques of family control to children's cognitive development was conducted with 163 urban Negro mothers from the lower and middle classes and their 4-year-old children. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) There was a significant negative correlation between responses of status-oriented mothers and personal- or cognitive-oriented mothers. (2) There was a significant negative correlation between responses of mothers using imperatives and those using instructions. (3) Status-normative orientation and impreative language were significantly and positively related, while personal-subjective and cognitive-rational orientation and instructive language tended to be positively related. (4) Status-normative oriented mothers had limited language, whereas elaborate language was used by personal-subjective and cognitive-rational oriented mothers. (5) Children of status-normative oriented mothers did not perform as well as children of personal-subjective and cognitive-rational oriented mothers. (6) Mothers language styles were significantly correlated with their children's performance on various cognitive measures. (7) Lower class mothers used imperative language and were status-normative oriented, whereas middle class mothers used instructive language and were personal-subjective and cognitive-rational oriented. Implications indicate that because of social-status differences, effective intervention must involve social reform. (JS)
Descriptors: Black Mothers, Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Development, Comparative Analysis, Expressive Language, Intervention, Language Styles, Language Usage, Logical Thinking, Middle Class Parents, Mother Attitudes, Mothers, Parent Influence, Preschool Children, Social Attitudes, Social Change, Speech Communication
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
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Sponsor: Children's Bureau (DHEW), Washington, DC.; Ford Foundation, New York, NY.
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A