| Abstract: | Observed 18 firstborn toddlers (aged 12–15 mo) and their mothers in their homes on 2 occasions (1 wk apart) for 45 min on each day. Childrearing practices were assessed through interviews and naturalistic observations; impulse control, defined as the nonmanipulation of breakable or dangerous objects, was assessed by describing the objects that infants manipulated. Findings reveal that mothers made numerous demands on their infants for impulse control and enforced them promptly and consistently. Mothers who relied on physical punishment had infants who were more likely to ignore maternal prohibitions, to manipulate breakable objects, and to show low levels of nonverbal competence 7 mo later. Physically punishing mothers made the fewest objects available in their homes for infant manipulation. Implications of these findings for the development of early impulse control and cognitive functioning are considered. Results show that individual differences in impulse control during this time period are related to individual differences in disciplinary style, which are related to characteristics of the physical environment, compliance to maternal demands, and infant performance on standardized intelligence tests. Findings illustrate the importance of a multimethod approach to developing impulse controls. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
