Study links kids' behavior to relationship with mother
Melanie Kucera - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Metro
It's now official: Pay more attention to the baby in infancy, and the baby will grow up to be a well-behaved toddler.
UI researchers have found that children who have a "close, positive, reciprocal, and mutually responsive relationship" with their mothers in the first two years of their lives will be more obedient and exhibit better behavior.
The reasons behind the results were a mix of complex factors, said Grazyna Kochanska, a UI professor of developmental psychology and the lead author of the study. Those influences included biological differences among children as well as the quality of the parent-child relationships, she said.
"We are beginning to disentangle those and see how they influence development," she said.
Researchers chose 102 volunteer families and started the study when the babies were 7 months old. They met continually with the families - including mothers, fathers, and babies - Kochanska said. Researchers spent up to three hours with each family and observed the children while they were put in various natural situations - such as picking up toys, craft projects, and interactions with different people. The study's conclusions appeared in the most recent issue of the Journal of Child Development. UI researchers will continue the study until the children are 8 years old.
"Having a negative relationship between mother and children early on, you can imagine how that will lead to conflict, power struggles, and negative emotions that make everything much more difficult for the child and the parent," said Jodie Plumert, a UI professor of psychology and a researcher on children's cognitive and perceptual motor development.
Plumert, who supports Kochanska's study, said she tried to follow the main message of the study in her own trials with motherhood. She stressed the importance of "sensitive parenting," not being overbearing but still a constant part of a child's life.
Plumert believes a strong relationship will help children until they are 8.
UI researchers have found that children who have a "close, positive, reciprocal, and mutually responsive relationship" with their mothers in the first two years of their lives will be more obedient and exhibit better behavior.
The reasons behind the results were a mix of complex factors, said Grazyna Kochanska, a UI professor of developmental psychology and the lead author of the study. Those influences included biological differences among children as well as the quality of the parent-child relationships, she said.
"We are beginning to disentangle those and see how they influence development," she said.
Researchers chose 102 volunteer families and started the study when the babies were 7 months old. They met continually with the families - including mothers, fathers, and babies - Kochanska said. Researchers spent up to three hours with each family and observed the children while they were put in various natural situations - such as picking up toys, craft projects, and interactions with different people. The study's conclusions appeared in the most recent issue of the Journal of Child Development. UI researchers will continue the study until the children are 8 years old.
"Having a negative relationship between mother and children early on, you can imagine how that will lead to conflict, power struggles, and negative emotions that make everything much more difficult for the child and the parent," said Jodie Plumert, a UI professor of psychology and a researcher on children's cognitive and perceptual motor development.
Plumert, who supports Kochanska's study, said she tried to follow the main message of the study in her own trials with motherhood. She stressed the importance of "sensitive parenting," not being overbearing but still a constant part of a child's life.
Plumert believes a strong relationship will help children until they are 8.
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