The Young Child's Interactions with Parents versus Siblings: A Behavioral Analysis

BASKETT, LINDA MUSUN, and JOHNSON, STEPHEN M. The Young Child's Interactions with Parents versus Siblings: A Behavioral Analysis. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 643-650. 47 families were observed interacting at home, and their behavior was recorded in terms of interactions between a target child and the other family members. The types of behaviors emitted by a target child to parents versus siblings were analyzed, as were the types of responses that parents versus siblings gave to the target child's behavior. Overall, a significantly greater number and variety of child behaviors were emitted in interactions with parents than with siblings. Also, of the behaviors emitted more often to parents, a greater proportion were positive in nature, while a greater proportion of those emitted more often to siblings were negative in nature. While both parents and siblings tended to reciprocate more often with positive behaviors, siblings responded significantly less positively and more negatively to the target child than did parents. The findings were discussed in terms of the different types of socialization occurring between children and parents versus between children and siblings.