Abstract
Studies have shown that Chilean and US infants differ in their levels of self-regulation. One of the mechanisms of early socializing is the use of language, particularly mental state language. The current study seeks to deepen our knowledge of the ways in which mental state language is related to socialization processes in early childhood, including the ways both culture and children’s gender influence a mothers’ use of mental state talk. We used a quantitative and descriptive approach with 109 mothers and their children (64 Chilean and 45 US dyads), measured twice, at 12 and 30 months old. Mental state references related to regulation were coded during a story-sharing task, including positive (calm and patient) and negative (messy and impatient) references to regulating behavior. Chilean mothers generally showed more regulatory references than US mothers, especially if the children were at a younger age (12 month). Frequencies of regulatory references increased in US mothers at 30 months but were still less than in Chilean mothers. At the 12-month measuring point, Chilean mothers showed more negative regulatory attributes than positive regulatory attributes. Finally, US mothers mainly used references to secondary emotions (e.g., pride) and positive regulatory attributes (being obedient, mature and patient) at both ages.
Highlights
The present study proposes a deeper understanding of the different types of mental state talk used by mothers during dyadic interaction with their children
Considering the different mental state talk types proposed for different studies [1,2,3,4,5], this paper seeks to focus on the mental state references that may control the behavior of the child by indicating the expected behavior or disapprove the undesired behavior
The current study examines whether mental state talk is used as part of this regulatory talk, and whether cultural differences in socialization are reflected in the way parents talk about the regulatory aspects of children’s internal states
Summary
The present study proposes a deeper understanding of the different types of mental state talk used by mothers during dyadic interaction with their children. Considering the different mental state talk types (emotions, cognitions, desires, perceptions, etc.) proposed for different studies [1,2,3,4,5], this paper seeks to focus on the mental state references that may control the behavior of the child by indicating the expected behavior (positive regulatory attribute language) or disapprove the undesired behavior (negative regulatory attribute language). The following section presents a theoretical review of socialization processes through parenthood, the concept of mental state talk as a mechanism of socialization and a proposal to identify mental state references aimed at promoting the regulation of the child’s behavior
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