Research Study 4 Flashcards
former soviet union child-rearing methods
- due to totalitarian society, child-rearing was designed to foster conformity, loyalty, group-mindedness, and unquestioning acceptance of authority
- dissent and independent thought discouraged and believed to be selfish
role of soviet government vs. soviet parents
- government is considered “primary” parent; parents considered secondary and follow whatever government says
specific child-rearing practices adopted by soviet parents
- government maintained uniformity in parenting practices -> little variety/diversity in parenting
style of discipline adopted by soviet educators
- authoritarian
- because educators were controlled by the state, they also rewarded strict obedience and discouraged independent thinking
style of discipline favoured in Russia (post-soviet union)
- responsive/nurturing: promotes independent thinking
- more variety in parenting styles
primary aim of study
to see whether parenting affects child aggression the same way in Russia as it does in the US, or whether there are cross-cultural differences (result: no cross-cultural differences found)
single positive and 2 negative aspects of parenting the study investiagted
- positive: responsiveness
- negative: coercion and psychological control
responsive parent-child interactions
emergent interactions rather than pre-planned (your interaction with your child emerges based on cues from child; you adapt and interact on the fly)
coercion
forcing someone to do something they wouldn’t voluntarily do on their own
does research consistently find a link between parental coercion and child aggression?
- no -> cross-cultural differences present
- ex. typically, no link is found for African-Americans as they live in an environment where they’re expected to obey due to excessive police brutality
psychological control
controlling what/how your child feels and thinks
2 forms of marital conflict examined in study
- overt marital conflict (ex. visible conflict -> fighting, screaming, etc.)
- marital exclusion (ex. giving each other the cold shoulder, pretending the other parent doesn’t exist, etc.)
7 variables examined in study
- responsiveness (IV)
- coercion (IV)
- psychological control (IV)
- overt marital conflict (IV)
- marital exclusion (IV)
- overt child aggression (DV)
- relational child aggression (DV)
did researchers find sex differences in relational and overt aggression rates?
No
did marital hostility make a significant contribution to overt and relational aggression above and beyond parenting styles?
No
did parenting styles make significant contributions to overt and relational aggression above and beyond marital hostility?
Yes
was the correlation between marital conflict and overt/relational aggression stronger for boys or girls?
Boys (boys are generally more affected by parent fighting than girls, and are also more negatively affected by divorce than girls)
what variable is most strongly correlated with overt aggression in boys?
mother’s coercion
what variable is most strongly correlated with relational aggression in boys?
father’s responsiveness
what variable is most strongly correlated with overt aggression in girls?
father’s responsiveness
what variable is most strongly correlated with relational aggression in girls?
mother’s coercion
which 2 variables weren’t significantly correlated with either type of child aggression?
- father’s psychological control
- marital exclusion
are the findings of this study consistent with other studies?
- yes
- like other studies, this one found that level of responsiveness is most important aspect of father involvement and has larger effect on children’s social skills than mother’s responsiveness
