Among studies that have examined the relationship between parenting styles and children's development of social skills, the research of Diana Baumrind is noteworthy. In several studies, she has identified authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting styles, which differ on the dimensions of nurturance and parental control. Authoritarian parents are low in nurturance and high in control; their children are prone to model aggressive modes of conflict resolution. Permissive parents are moderate or high in nurturance and low in control. Their children tend to be sociable, but tend to avoid taking responsibility for misbehavior. Authoritative parents are high in nurturance and moderate in control. These parents' nurturing behaviors, such as interest in children's daily activities, predict children's social competence. In their use of control, authoritative parents: (1) set behavioral standards for children; (2) use positive reinforcers such as praise to increase children's compliance; (3) prefer discipline in which both sides of an issue are stated and a just solution is sought and in which children are expected to make up for their wrongdoing; and (4) avoid extreme forms of punishment such as physical punishment and ridicule. It is concluded that authoritative parenting styles better facilitate the development of children's social competence than do other parenting styles. Five references are cited. (EAJ)