The current research examined children's observed compliance in a family clean-up paradigm and parents' reports of coparenting to predict young children's conscience (e.g., affective discomfort and moral regulation) in a sample of 58 families with two parents and at least two children. Results demonstrated relations between parent reports of children's conscience development and observerrated compliance in a family clean-up session, in addition to significant correlations between coparenting and conscience development. There were more significant results for younger, 2-yearold siblings than older siblings which may reflect the importance of the period between 2 and 3 for the emergence of conscience. Multiple regressions revealed that younger siblings' age, observed compliance/noncompliance, and parent reports of coparenting were significant in predicting parents' reports of affective discomfort and moral regulation. Findings underscore the importance of continuing research on whole-family dynamics when studying young children's early conscience and moral regulation.Many developmentalists point to the early years of childhood as a significant time period for the development of the internalization of a set of standards that govern behavior and proper conduct in a socially acceptable manner (Dunn, 1987;Kagan, 1981;Kochanska, 1993;Emde & Buchsbaum, 1990;Kochanska De Vet, Goldman, Murray, & Putnam, 1994;Kopp, 1982). Indeed, research suggests that the period between 2 and 3 is a critical time for the emergence of early conscience and the development of a "moral self" (Emde, Biringen, Clyman, & Oppenheim, 1991;Kagan, 1981;Kochanska, Coy, & Murray, 2001;Kochanska, Tjebkes, & Forman, 1998). Few studies, however, have assessed moral development from a family systems' perspective. Family systems theory posits that families consist of subsystems of relationships and family dynamics are a result of the interaction between these subsystems (Cox & Paley, 1997;Minuchin, 1985). In support of this theory, a number of studies examining family influences on child development have found significant relations between marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships (Cowan & Cowan, 2002;Feinberg & Hetherington, 2001;Kowal, Krull, & Kramer, 2006;Richmond & Stocker, 2006;Stewart, Mobley, Salvador, & Van Tuyl, 1987;Volling, McElwain, & Miller, 2002;Volling & Elins, 1998). More recently, researchers have underscored the importance of whole-family interactions, such as coparenting between mothers and fathers, noting that family influence goes beyond the direct effects of dyadic interaction (McHale, 1995;McHale, Lauretti, Talbot, & Pouquette, 2002;SchoppeSullivan, Frosh, Mangelsdorf, & McHale, 2004;Volling, Blandon, & Grovine, 2006). Yet, there is little in the way of research examining family-level processes as it pertains to early moral development. One of the primary goals of this research was to examine the role of whole-family dynamics such as coparenting in predicting the emergence of early conscience. NIH-PA Author Manuscrip...
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