Links between Communication Patterns in Mother-Child, Father-Child, and Child-Peer Interactions and Children's Social Status

Abstract

Black, Betty, and Logan, Arliss. Links between Communication Patterns in Mother-Child, Father-Child, and Child-Peer Interactions and Children's Social Status. Child Development, 1995, 66, 255–271. In this study, we examined communication in the family and peer systems in relation to children's sociometric status. Codes measured turn-taking skills and utterance types for 43 children (ages 24–60 months) with mothers, fathers, and peers. Communication differences in the family and peer systems were strongest for popular versus rejected status children and their parents, but differences were also found for controversial and neglected status children and their parents. Rejected status children demonstrated turn-taking styles that included irrelevant turns, interruptions, simultaneous talking, and noncontingent responding. Parents of rejected children used higher proportions of requests than parents of popular children but failed to allow their children time to respond to the requests. Popular status children were more likely to alternate turns, provide explanations to peers, and participate in episodes of cohesive discourse. Interaction patterns were examined for potential mechanisms of transfer between family and peer systems.