Observer Influences on Fathers and Mothers: An Experimental Manipulation of the Structure and Function of Parent – Infant Conversation

Abstract

From studies over the past 20 years four contrasting hypotheses can be made about the nature of parent-infant communication: (1) mothers and fathers display similar skills to their infants and do not exert a differential influence on their development; (2) fathers are less sympathetic to their infants' level of development and therefore inadvertently stretch the child's development more than mothers; (3) both parents differentidy socialize their sons' and daughters' early communicative skills; (4) any apparent differences between parents reflect their expectations about being observed. To examine these hypotheses together, this experiment records the communication of 10 mother-infant and 10 fathepinfant dyads in two conditions: when an observer was present or absent. The analysis revealed two patterns. Firstly, in keeping with most research on parent-child communication, mothers and fathers both simplified their speech to their infants in similar ways. Secondly, both the structure and function of parental communication showed differences between the two conditions and many of these differences were moderated by interactions between condition and sex of parent or child. The data thus pmvide more support for the first and fourth hypotheses cited above. It is suggested that analyses of parent-infant interaction should move away from simple assumptions about parental 'influences' upon children's development to consider the subtleties of different parental styles in different settings.

Gender in discourse behaviour in parent–child dyads: a literature review

“…Paternal CDS, including use of questions that require children to distance themselves from the physical context of interaction, fewer extensions and less responsiveness (Tenenbaum & Leaper 1998) would allow the child to develop communicative skills necessary for the outside world, so the argument goes. Such an interpretation would work in line with gender socialization theories that explain the observed parental differences in terms of their generally different interactive behaviour (Lewis & Gregory 1987;Lewis et al 1996). The 'Bridge Hypothesis' is disputed, however (e.g.…”

“…However, only the moderated thesis that contextual factors (as a first factor) as well as parental gender (as a second factor) can account for the gender-differentiated interaction patterns observed to this day (see Leaper & Gleason 1996). We may also recall that the 'Bridge Hypothesis' , essentially emphasizing positive effects of func-tionally differentiated input, is compatible with gender socialization theories that explain the observed parental differences in terms of their generally different interactive behaviour (Lewis & Gregory 1987;Lewis et al . 1996), even if evidence for the latter claim remains sketchy.…”

Fathers’ influences on children’s development: The evidence from two-parent families

“…Fathers and mothers both adjust their speech in interaction with infants, using slower diction with shorter phrases, more imitation, and more redundancy (Kokkinaki & Kugiumutsakis, 2000;Lewis et al, 1996;Rondal, 1980) than when talking to adults. Since Gleason's (1975) seminal paper, however, it has been assumed that men are slightly less attuned to their children's linguistic levels.…”

Estratégias de comunicação em situação poliádica de creche

“…Esses autores constataram que as mães variam seus estilos de conversação com suas crianças de cerca de três anos, de acordo com diferentes contextos interacionais: as médias de itens como pedidos, confirmações, clarificações, diretivas e negações diferiram significativamente conforme o contexto interativo fosse uma situação de brinquedo livre ou uma conversa sobre eventos passados. Também um estudo de Lewis et al, 1996, sobre diferenças entre estilos de interação de pais e mães em diferentes contextos apontou diferenças e semelhanças nos estilos observados: tanto o pai quanto a mãe simplificam o seu modo de comunicação em situações de interação com suas crianças e ajustam suas estratégias de acordo com a contexto de interação, embora com um efeito moderador do sexo do genitor e da criança. Essa flexibilidade estende-se, aparentemente, às próprias crianças, que se mostram capazes de reconhecer mudanças de status do parceiro e adaptar seu comportamento ao tipo de parceiro ou à circunstância do contexto (Shatz, Gelman, 1973;Dunn, Kendrick, 1981;Lordelo, 1986;Marcos, 1995).…”