Mother-child interaction observed at home.

Abstract

Lower-class and middle-class mother-child pairs were observed in their homes.In contrast to other studies, very few class differences were found in maternal behavior. These results are discussed in terms of the contexts in which obser vations are made.

Evaluating Parental Effects on Child Development

“…Second, even within the SES index itself, variables of income, education, and occupation are confounded, and consequently it is not clear which of these aspects may be responsible for the observed differences. Fewer differences between social classes have been observed at home than at the university (Schlieper, 1975). Kohn (1977) proposes that the most important variable to account for SES differences is the father's occupation.…”

Social class, experimental setting, and task characteristics as determinants of mother–child interaction.

“…Experimental-setting effects have been reported in the interactions of families with adolescents (O'Rourke, 1963), emotionally disturbed preschoolers (Moustakas, Sigel, & Schalock, 1956), and infants (Brookhart & Hock, 1976;Ross, Kagan, Zelazo, & Kotelchuck, 1975). Moreover, Schlieper (1975) found few social-class differences in mother-child interactions observed at home and concluded that the laboratory setting itself, in which much of the prior research had been conducted, might have been responsible for previously observed social-class differences. Since lowerclass families might be more anxious in the laboratory, observed social-class differences might reflect differences in anxiety level rather than in social class.…”