Lecture 7 - Parents and Parenting

Question 1

Which factor is seen as the primary source of socialisation for a child?

Answer 1

Family (Allen et al., 2000).

Question 2

How do parents socialise the child?

Answer 2

Nurture, discipline, language, managing (school & support etc), materials, teaching and monitoring (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005).

Question 3

How does parents’ caregiving socialise the child?

Answer 3

Provides protection and comfort so as to deactivate the need for attachment behaviour and restore a sense of security (Pryor and Glaser, 2006).

Question 4

What is the parents effects model?

Answer 4

The relationship between parent and child is driven by the parent.

Question 5

What is the child-effects model?

Answer 5

The relationship between the parent and child is driven by the child.

Question 6

What is the transactional model (of parenting)?

Answer 6

The relationship between parent and child is bi-directional.

For example, the child will not follow the rules of the parent, causing the parent to get angry. This then increases anger in the child, which results in even more anger in the parent, etc etc.

Question 7

What does the chronosystem refer to (Brofenbrenner, 1979)?

Answer 7

Changes in persons or environments over time.

Question 8

What is the macrosystem according to Bronfenbrenner (1979)?

Answer 8

Broad ideology, laws and customs of one’s culture, subculture or social class.

Question 9

What is the mesosystem according to Bronfenbrenner (1979)?

Answer 9

Refers to the interaction between microsystems.

Question 10

What is the exosystem according to Bronfenbrenner (1979)?

Answer 10

The collection of settings that influence the child’s development, but in which the child does not play a direct role (e.g. parental workplace).

Question 11

What is a microsystem according to Bronfenbrenner (1979)?

Answer 11

The context in which children live and interact with the people and institutions closest to them, such as parents, peers and school.

Question 12

What are examples of microsystems?

Answer 12

Everyday, immediate environments:

• peers
• religious institutions
• healthcare services
• school
• family
• playground

Question 13

What are examples of exosystems?

Answer 13

• Extended family
• Neighbours
• Mass Media
• Social welfare
• Legal services
• Friends of the family

Question 14

What are the two main dimensions of parenting (Baumrind, 1973)?

Answer 14

• Acceptance/responsiveness

- Demandingness/control

Question 15

Authoritative parents are what on the dimensions of parenting, and what are they like (Baumrind, 1973)?

Answer 15

High on acceptance/responsiveness
High on demandingness/control

Reasonable demands, consistently enforced, with sensitivity to and acceptance of the child

Question 16

What are permissive indulgent parents like, and how do they rank on Baumrind’s (1973) dimensions of parenting?

Answer 16

Few rules and demands, children are allowed much freedom.

High on acceptance/sensitivity
Low on demandingness/control

Question 17

What are authoritarian parents like, and how do they rank on Baumrind’s (1973) dimensions of parenting?

Answer 17

Many rules and demands, few explanations and little sensitivity to the child’s needs and perspectives.

Low on acceptance/sensitivity
High on demandingness/control

Question 18

What are uninvolved parents like, and how do they rank on Baumrind’s (1973) dimensions of parenting?

Answer 18

Few rules and demands, parents are uninvolved and insensitive to their children’s needs.

Question 19

Baumrind’s (1973) model of parenting falls under which of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) systems?

Answer 19

Microsystem

Question 20

What is the optimum parenting style (Baumrind, 1973) for the outcomes of the child?

Answer 20

Authoritative

Question 21

What are the effects of authoritarian parenting on children?

Answer 21

They lack social competence and are passive/withdrawn.
But they do respect and comply authority figures.

Lower self-esteem (due to lack of sensitivity) and higher levels of depression.

Question 22

What are the effects of uninvolved parenting on children?

Answer 22

Susceptible to peer pressure and socially incompetent

Delinquency is more likely, as well as drug and alcohol use and sexual activity at an earlier age.

Question 23

What are the effects of permissive indulgent parenting on children?

Answer 23

Immature and less likely to accept responsibility for their actions. Trouble controlling impulses.

High self esteem, low depression and problem behaviours.

Question 24

Why is authoritative parenting so effective?

Answer 24

Authoritative parents are more likely to use behavioral control than psychological control.

Question 25

What is behavioural control and which type of parenting is this more typical of?

Answer 25

Regulation of the child's behaviour by setting guidelines. More typical of authoritative parenting.

Question 26

What is psychological control and which type of parenting is it more typical of?

Answer 26

Manipulation of the child's feelings. More typical of authoritarian parenting.

Question 27

What did Lang et al., (1989) test about children fuelling alcohol drinking in parents?

Answer 27

Manipulated confederate children to display typical or deviant (ADD) behaviours, and allowed parents to interact with a child each. They were removed from the room and were told whether they were going to return to the same child, or get a different one. They were also allowed to drink freely at any point.

Question 28

What did Lang et al., (1989) find about children fuelling alcohol drinking in parents?

Answer 28

Parents who were told they would be returning to interact with ADD children drank more than those who were returning to normally behaving children. Parents who did drink more found ADD children less deviant. Therefore, the drinking could be a way of increasing interaction with the child due to improved acceptance of their behaviour.

Question 29

What did Simons & Conger (2007) find about combinations of two different parenting styles on child outcomes?

Answer 29

The best outcomes occurred when both parents had authoritative styles. The worst outcomes occurred when both parents were uninvolved, or when one was uninvolved and the other was permissive/indulgent.

Question 30

What did Lansford et al., (2005) find about the best parenting styles in different cultures?

Answer 30

Different parenting styles are optimal in different cultures, as the effects of physical punishment results in different child outcomes depending on the culture. For African cultures, physical punishment resulted in less externalising behaviour, while the opposite was found in European cultures.

Question 31

What did Chao (2001) show about cultural differences in school performance with differing parenting styles?

Answer 31

School performance did not differ between Chinese-American children who had authoritarian parenting, compared to Chinese-American children who had authoritative parenting. However, European-American children with authoritarian parents performed worse at school than the Chinese-American children.

Question 32

What did Fischer et al., (2010) find about the effect of the environment on parenting?

Answer 32

Risky/dangerous environments shape parenting. Terrorism salience lead to more impatience, more negative facial expressions and raising of their voice (authoritarian parenting feature).