Links between maternal representations of the child, observed maternal behaviors, and the quality of dyadic engagement in play at 28 months.
Item
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Title
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Links between maternal representations of the child, observed maternal behaviors, and the quality of dyadic engagement in play at 28 months.
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Identifier
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AAI9908324
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identifier
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9908324
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Creator
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Hartmann, Annelie Hansi.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Arietta Slade
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Date
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1998
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Developmental | Health Sciences, Human Development | Psychology, Social | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies
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Abstract
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This study investigated the relationship between maternal representations of the child at 28 months and contemporaneously assessed measures of maternal responsiveness, dyadic interaction, and child representational competency in 40 mother-toddler pairs. Mothers were interviewed about their relationship with their child using the Parent Development Interview (PDI) and transcripts were scored using a dimensional scoring system developed by the authors of the PDI. Maternal and child play behaviors were coded from videotapes of mothers interacting with their toddlers in two experimental conditions: (1) where mothers were occupied and children played alone, and (2) where mothers and their children played together. Qualitative ratings of maternal, dyadic, and children's play behavior were made using the Dyadic Symbolic Play Scales developed for the purposes of this study. The developmental level of children's play was also coded using the Developmental Level of Play Scale. Results provided evidence that maternal representations of negative affective experiences pertaining to the relationship are associated with maternal behavior. Specifically, mothers reporting high levels of separation distress were more likely to respond to their child in a contingent manner in free play. Maternal contingent responsiveness was in turn linked with the quality of dyadic interaction and child representational competency. Findings showed that dyads engaged in more reciprocal interactions, and children were better able to focus on play and follow through with play themes when mothers displayed contingent responsiveness. Post-hoc analyses examining the role of gender showed that gender exerts an important influence in shaping maternal representations of the child. Findings indicate that mothers of girls experience more joy/pleasure in the relationship and provided richer, more coherent descriptions of the child than mothers of boys. Additionally, boys and girls exhibited different patterns of play in the two experimental conditions and these differences were directly linked with maternal representations. When mothers reported experiencing high levels of anger and guilt in the relationship, girls were better able than boys to engage in self-directed play when playing alone. When mothers of boys reported high levels of separation distress they tended to display more contingent responsiveness when playing with their child which in turn functioned to enhance boys' capacity to focus on play and deploy higher level representational skills. Two cases descriptions are presented which illustrate the different pattern of results obtained for mother-son and mother-daughter dyads in this study, and are discussed in light of the process of separation-individuation which characterizes this developmental period.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
