ERIC Number: EJ1168554
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-7227
EISSN: N/A
Theory-of-Mind Development and Early Sibling Relationships after the Birth of a Sibling: Parental Discipline Matters
Song, Ju-Hyun; Volling, Brenda L.
Infant and Child Development, v27 n1 Jan-Feb 2018
This study investigated relations among children's Theory-of-Mind (ToM) development, early sibling interactions, and parental discipline strategies during the transition to siblinghood. Using a sample of firstborn children and their parents (N = 208), we assessed children's ToM before the birth of a sibling and 12 months after the birth, and sibling interactions (i.e., positive engagement and antagonism) and parental discipline strategies (i.e., child-centred and parent-centred discipline) at 4 and 8 months in the first year of siblinghood. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed that children's ToM before the birth of the sibling predicted children's positive engagement with the infant sibling, whereas children's antagonistic behaviours towards the infant sibling negatively predicted children's ToM at 12 months, but only when mothers used low levels of child-centred discipline. These findings emphasize the role of parents in the development of young children's social-cognitive understanding in the context of early sibling interactions.
Descriptors: Sibling Relationship, Theory of Mind, Parenting Styles, Discipline, Interaction, Age Differences, Infants, Structural Equation Models, Predictor Variables, Parent Role, Child Development, Social Development, Cognitive Development
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: K02HD047423; R01HD042607