Maternal perception of child temperament and observed mother-child interaction

Abstract

This research explored the relationship between maternal perception of child temperament characteristics and observations of mother-child interaction in a free play situation. Children were divided into “difficult” and “easy” temperament groups on the basis of their mothers' responses to a temperament questionnaire. Mothers were also interviewed regarding their use of different child rearing techniques. The results indicated that difficult and easy children did not behave differently with their mothers. Mothers, however, did show behavioral differences as a function of their child's temperament classification. In addition, the children's behavior varied as a function of sex and temperament when level of maternal control was considered as a variable. These results suggest that control may be influential in determining whether a mother perceives her child as difficult or easy. The results also suggest that a child's temperament characteristics should not be considered in isolation from his or her sex: that being an easy or difficult child is different depending on whether one is a boy or a girl.