Maternal Illusory Control Predicts Socialization Strategies and Toddler Compliance

This study examined the relation between mothers' perception of their capacity for controlling infant crying and a later measure of parent-toddler social interaction-compliance with parental requests. Fifty-seven mothers participated in (a) a laboratory task when their children were 5 months ol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2000-05, Vol.36 (3), p.402-411
Main Authors: Donovan, Wilberta L, Leavitt, Lewis A, Walsh, Reghan O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Child Behavior - psychology
Child development
Child Rearing
Child, Preschool
Children & youth
Comparative Analysis
Compliance
Compliance (Psychology)
Developmental psychology
Early Childhood Development
Factors
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Illusions
Infant
Infants
Internal External Locus of Control
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mother Child Relations
Mothers
Mothers - psychology
Newborn. Infant
Parent Child Relationship
Perceived control
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychosocial Development
Socialization
Toddlers
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Summary:This study examined the relation between mothers' perception of their capacity for controlling infant crying and a later measure of parent-toddler social interaction-compliance with parental requests. Fifty-seven mothers participated in (a) a laboratory task when their children were 5 months old to assess mothers' perception of control and (b) a toy-cleanup task when their children were 24 months old to assess toddler compliance. Perception-of-control scores on the laboratory task reflected accuracy of perception and ranged from accurate to greatly overestimating control, with an overestimation referred to as an illusion of control. Mothers were categorized into three illusion-of-control groups: low, moderate, and high. Toddlers of mothers in the low and high illusion-of-control groups were more likely to be categorized as highly defiant than were toddlers of mothers in the moderate-illusion group. Mothers with high illusory control were most likely to use a high power-assertion strategy (negative control), and when negotiating, their toddlers' expression of autonomy was most likely to escalate into defiance.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/0012-1649.36.3.402