The Structure of Parent-Child Dyadic Synchrony in Toddlerhood and Children's Communication Competence and Self-control (original) (raw)
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The correlates of dyadic synchrony in high-risk, low-income toddler boys
Infant Behavior and Development, 2006
Synchrony has been broadly conceptualized as the quality of the parent-child dyadic relationship. Parenting, factors that compromise caregiving quality, and child characteristics have all been theoretically linked to synchrony, but little research has been conducted to validate such associations. The present study examined correlates of synchrony including parenting, maternal psychological resources and child attributes, among a sample of 120 mother-son dyads who were participating in a treatment study for children identified as being at risk for developing early conduct problems. There families participated in an at-home assessment, which included a series of mother-son interactions. Synchrony was associated with aspects of parenting and child attributes, including maternal nurturance, and child emotional negativity and language skills. The findings are discussed in terms of parent and child contributions to the development of synchrony.
Dyadic synchrony: Its structure and function in children’s development
Developmental Review, 2002
In this review we examine empirical and theoretical work in three eras-infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood-and for each era describe the structure of dyadic synchrony in interactions involving children and their caregivers, as well as offer speculation about its developmental function for the child. We review divergent literatures dealing with synchrony-related constructs which, together, suggest that although the structure and function of synchrony change throughout the course of early development, the ability to achieve synchrony may represent a crucial developmental achievement for significant dyadic relationships, one that facilitates social, emotional, and cognitive growth for the child.
Relations between parent-child affect and synchrony and cognitive outcome at 5 years of age
Personal Relationships, 1995
This investigation involved the longitudinal assessment of 30 preterm and 39 full-term infants from 2 to 5 years of age. Measures of cognitive outcome at 2 and 5 years of age and mother-child dyadic synchrony and affect during free-play interaction were obtained at 5 years of age. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that 5-year cognitive outcome was predicted by 2-year cognitive status, mother education, and 5-year dyadic interaction. In addition, 5-year maternal positive affect contributed independently to children's cognitive status at age 5, above and beyond the contributions of early cognitive status and maternal education. Also, affect and synchrony interacted in predicting lower cognitive abilities. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of maternal affect and synchronous interactions in transactional explanations of development during early childhood.
Why Synchrony Matters during Mother-Child Interactions: A Systematic Review
PLoS ONE, 2014
Background: Assessment of mother-child interactions is a core issue of early child development and psychopathology. This paper focuses on the concept of ''synchrony'' and examines (1) how synchrony in mother-child interaction is defined and operationalized; (2) the contribution that the concept of synchrony has brought to understanding the nature of mother-child interactions. Method: Between 1977 and 2013, we searched several databases using the following key-words: « synchrony » « interaction » and « mother-child ». We focused on studies examining parent-child interactions among children aged 2 months to 5 years. From the 63 relevant studies, we extracted study description variables (authors, year, design, number of subjects, age); assessment conditions and modalities; and main findings. Results: The most common terms referring to synchrony were mutuality, reciprocity, rhythmicity, harmonious interaction, turn-taking and shared affect; all terms were used to characterize the mother-child dyad. As a consequence, we propose defining synchrony as a dynamic and reciprocal adaptation of the temporal structure of behaviors and shared affect between interactive partners. Three main types of assessment methods for studying synchrony emerged: (1) global interaction scales with dyadic items; (2) specific synchrony scales; and (3) microcoded time-series analyses. It appears that synchrony should be regarded as a social signal per se as it has been shown to be valid in both normal and pathological populations. Better mother-child synchrony is associated with familiarity (vs. unknown partner), a healthy mother (vs. pathological mother), typical development (vs. psychopathological development), and a more positive child outcomes. Discussion: Synchrony is a key feature of mother-infant interactions. Adopting an objective approach in studying synchrony is not a simple task given available assessment tools and due to its temporality and multimodal expression. We
Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 2015
We investigated whether synchrony at a physiological level (i.e., real-time correspondence of biological indices between two individuals) related to observed levels of dyadic attunement (i.e., levels of connectedness, joint attention, and reciprocity), and whether these measures could distinguish between mother-child dyads with and without clinical levels of externalizing behavioral problems. Eighty-three clinical and 35 nonclinical dyads (7-12 years-old) discussed a contentious topic preceded and followed by a positive topic while their heart rates were recorded. Changes in dyadic attunement from the last discussion relative to the first were taken as an index of how well dyads 'repaired' their relationship. Results showed that clinical dyads had lower levels of dyadic attunement across all discussions compared to nonclinical dyads. Evidence that physiological synchrony could distinguish clinical from nonclinical dyads, however, was merely suggestive. Physiological synchrony was sensitive to the emotional context of the discussions as more dyads demonstrated physiological synchrony in the last compared to the first discussion. Moreover, dyads who demonstrated physiological synchrony also showed higher levels of repair. The outcomes of this study suggest that physiological synchrony between mothers and their children is sensitive to emotional context during interactions, and particularly during periods of repair when dyads more actively reconnect with each other after a negative interaction.
Mother-Child and Father-Child Interactional Synchrony in Dyadic and Triadic Interactions
Sex Roles, 2011
Patterns of interactional synchrony were compared in mother-child and father-child dyads during dyadic and triadic interactions. Forty-two dual-earner families from the French province of Québec, Canada, participated in the study with their 32 months-old child. Parent–child interactions were coded using a taxonomy including the social partners’ physical proximity, visual and body orientation, and dyadic involvement. Analyses show similar patterns of interactional synchrony in mother-child and father-child dyads in the dyadic context while father-child dyads presented less interactional synchrony than mother-child dyads when interacting in triad. Discussion focuses on the impact of the context and on the factors that could explain the changes in father-child patterns of interaction from one context to another.
New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences
In this study, the synchronisation characteristics of mothers and their 3-year-old children living in extended and nuclear family types were examined in a semi-structured play process. In this study, grounded multi-case research, which is a type of case study, was used. The participants of the study consisted of 12 mothers and their 3-year-old children, 6 of them are from an extended family type and 6 of them are from a nuclear family type. Observational and interview techniques were used to describe the interactions of the studied group in detail. As a result, interactional synchrony behaviors were very limited in all mother's“child couples in the extended and also nuclear families. However, it was observed that the eye contact of mothers was inadequate.
Interactional Synchrony and Child Gender Differences in Dyadic and Triadic Family Interactions
Journal of Family Issues, 2019
Based on family systems theory, our objectives were to examine the association between dyadic parent-child interactional synchrony (mother-child and father-child) and triadic mother-father-child interactional synchrony and the effect of the child's gender on the family interactional synchrony at the child's third year. Forty-three low-income Brazilian families (mother, father, and child) were observed in free play interaction. Multidimension assessments of the degree of dyadic and triadic interactional synchronies were made (interpersonal distance, visual and body orientation, play involvement, and shared affect). Results indicated that father-child dyadic interaction was more strongly associated with triadic family interaction than mother-child interaction. Furthermore, father-daughter dyads and triads with girls were more attuned than all other family compositions. Taken together, these results expand research in the field and suggest that fathers may have a greater impact on child gender development than previously thought. Our findings also add empirical evidence to the unique contribution of the triadic family context for understanding of parental roles and family dynamics.
Mother-Son Positive Synchrony in Middle Childhood: Relation to Antisocial Behavior
Social Development, 2003
The aim of the present investigation was to examine mother-son positive synchrony and its link to child and best friend antisocial behavior in middle childhood. Data were collected from 122 families with 10-year-old children during home assessments. Positive synchrony was rated during a parent-child discussion task. Data were also gathered on parent-child openness and conflict, harsh discipline, parental monitoring, and the child's social information processing. Four domains of child adjustment were assessed: antisocial behavior (ages 8 and 10), best friend antisocial behavior (ages 8 and 10), social skills (age 10), and anxiety/depression (age 10). The results indicated that observed positive synchrony was related significantly to measures tapping parenting, parent-child conflict, and child social information processing, as well as to youth and best friend antisocial behavior. The associations between synchrony and antisocial behavior remained significant after controlling for prior youth adjustment and other child and parenting factors. Developmental implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Keywords: parent-child synchrony; parent-child relationship quality; antisocial behavior; observational research A number of researchers have postulated that the quality of the parent-child relationship serves a prominent role in the development of children's behavioral and social
Making Children Laugh: Parent-Child Dyadic Synchrony and Preschool Attachment
Infant Mental Health Journal, 2014
The current study examined whether dyadic synchrony of father-child and mother-child interactions in a playful context were associated with attachment organization in preschool children. One hundred seven children (48 boys, M age = 46.67 months, SD = 8.57) and their mothers and fathers (counterbalanced order of lab visits) participated in a playful interaction without toys (Laughing Task procedure). Playful interactions were coded based on the degree to which the dyads demonstrated a variety of behavior representing dyadic synchrony and task management. Children's attachment behavior toward fathers and mothers was observed in a modified separation-reunion procedure adapted for the preschool period. Results demonstrate that mothers and fathers are similar in their effort to arouse and engage their child in a playful context, but mothers achieved a greater synchrony with their child. Disorganized attachment to either mother or father is linked with a lack of synchrony in dyadic interaction. Findings are in contrast with prevailing theory, suggesting that despite gender-related differences in parental playful behaviors, dyadic synchrony is equally important in both mother-and father-child relationships for the development of organized social and affectional bonds.