Morningness-Eveningness and Family Interaction

Abstract

In the repercussions of the recent surfacing of developmental issues in M-E research, discussions about how M-E can be an important factor within the parent-child relationship have been initiated (see Cofer et al., 1999). The ideas that have been put forward are essentially elaborations, extensions, and refinements of more general suggestions that time patterns of individual family members should affect the functioning of the family, as a whole (Hall, 1976; Kantor & Lehr, 1975; Moore, 1963; Osborne & Fincham, 1994; Young & Ziman, 1971). Previous research has indeed addressed these proposals, but the empirical studies have mainly focused on partner relationships (e.g., Adams & Cromwell, 1978; Hoskins, 1979, 1989; Hoskins & Halberg, 1983; Hoskins et al., 1979; Larson et al., 1991) and less on parent-child interactions (although see Cofer et al., 1999; Stone et al., 1991). Also, the single study of differences in parent-child interactions among M-E types focused specifically on conflicts (i.e., Cofer et al., 1999). This means that other indicators of family functioning have, up to now, been left out of M-E research.