Abstract
Many environmental factors appear to play a part in the development of child behavior and personality. The relative importance of these factors and the specific manner in which they influence personality development are still, to a large extent, a matter of conjecture. It is generally assumed, however, that a major portion of a child's socialization takes place during his early formative years in his daily interactions with various members of his family. Usually the child's mother plays a particularly central role in this process. Until the child enters school, she spends more time with him than any other person and is primarily responsible for a major part of his early socialization. If personality development is viewed in terms of social learning experiences, what is learned will depend upon the behavior of the persons who play the role of socializer to the child. From this viewpoint, the study of maternal behavior patterns and maternal socialization techniques should substantially contribute to a more complete understanding of personality development. In the past, information concerning maternal behavior has primarily come from clinical observation and reports. In the last decade, however, several systematic research efforts have been directed toward the description and analysis of various aspects of maternal behavior. The construction and use of the Fels Parent Behavior Rating Scales (PBRs) by Champney (3) represents one such effort to categorize and measure a relatively wide range of maternal behavior. This effort was made in the context of long-range longitudinal research. From the time of Champney's original report in 1941 until the present time, specially trained psychologists at the Fels Research Institute for the Study of Human Development, acting as Home Visitors, have routinely observed mother-child interactions in the families of the Fels longitudinal research population. Subsequent to each home visit, the Home Visitor has rated each mother's maternal behavior on the 30 Fels Parent Behavior Rating Scales. A moje detailed description of the Fels
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.