Whitbeck et al. (1997)

Question 1

Differences between middle and working-class parents in terms of discipline

Answer 1

• Middle-class parents will be more likely than working-class parents to consider the child’s motives for behaviour (consistent with the middle-class parental value of self-directedness)
• ex. middle-class parents more likely to physically punish children for loss of temper than for wild play, while working-class parents did not make these distinctions (consistent with the working-class value of conformity)

Question 2

What are the two attributes of social class that this study brings together?

Answer 2

• Working conditions

- Family economic stress

Question 3

Parental negative affect

Answer 3

• when parents display negative emotions like anger, contempt, etc.
• influences their use of inductive parenting

Question 4

What do work socialization theorists argue?

Answer 4

• Substantive working conditions have psychological consequences for parents which are generalized to other settings, particularly interactions within the family (working conditions will influence parental conditions)
• ex. occupational complexity (pred) –> parents’ reports of job autonomy (pred) –> inductive parenting style (med) –> adolescents’ self-efficacy (out)

Question 5

What do family economic stress theorists argue?

Answer 5

• That economic hardship disrupts parents’ emotional well-being, consequently affecting relationships within the family
• ex. total earnings (pred) –> parents’ reports of economic pressure (pred) –> parents’ negative affect (med) –> inductive parenting style (med) –> adolescents’ self-efficacy (outcome)

Question 6

Which aspect of parents’ social class is typically a stronger predictor when it comes to explaining the variance in outcomes?

Answer 6

Family economic stress

Question 7

Why should the results be viewed cautiously according to the researcher

Answer 7

• The models they used are weaker tests of the family economic stress model compared to other models
• Measurement limitations resulted in an incomplete test of Kohn and Schooler’s approach to the effects of working conditions on parenting

Question 8

Which variable primarily accounts for intergenerational transmission of social class characteristics?

Answer 8

• parenting styles
• parents act as primary socializing agents in society –> responsible for passing down values from 1 generation to the next

Question 9

Did the results find support for the work conditions model for both mothers and fathers?

Answer 9

No (influence for fathers existed, but unable to test mothers)