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Understanding Emotion Socialization Through Naturalistic Observations of Parent–Child Interactions
Author(s) -
Sperling Jacqueline,
Repetti Rena L.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/fare.12314
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , socialization , affect (linguistics) , emotional expression , expression (computer science) , affective science , naturalism , naturalistic observation , expressed emotion , social psychology , emotionality , communication , philosophy , epistemology , computer science , programming language
Objective To describe children's emotion expressions, parent behavioral responses to their negative emotions, and children's subsequent emotional reactions. Background Past research typically has used questionnaires and structured laboratory studies to understand these constructs. The present study, by contrast, was designed to investigate how these behaviors unfold during families' everyday lives. Method Thirty‐one families were recorded going about their daily lives as part of a larger study of the everyday lives of families; footage of a parent and target child (8–12 years of age) together on screen was divided into 30‐second clips ( N = 15,071). Children's expressions of positive and negative emotion were identified, and parent emotion coaching responses (those theorized to encourage emotion expression) and emotion dismissing responses (behaviors postulated to discourage emotion expression) to children's negative affective displays were coded. Results Multilevel modeling results indicated that children were more likely to react with negative emotion following parents' critical statements and negative commands. However, parent ignoring increased the likelihood of positive or neutral emotional reactions. Conclusion Although sometimes classified as a dismissing response, parent ignoring may facilitate opportunities to practice emotion regulation. Implications These naturalistic observations can help to inform parent training programs about differential responses to children's expressions of negative affect.