Capturing the temporal sequence of interaction in young siblings.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25996957.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0126353 and PMC identifier 4440720.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
We explored whether young children exhibit subtypes of behavioral sequences during sibling interaction. Ten-minute, free-play observations of over 300 sibling dyads were coded for positivity, negativity and disengagement. The data were analyzed using growth mixture modeling (GMM). Younger (18-month-old) children's temporal behavioral sequences showed a harmonious (53%) and a casual (47%) class. Older (approximately four-year-old) children's behavior was more differentiated revealing a harmonious (25%), a deteriorating (31%), a recovery (22%) and a casual (22%) class. A more positive maternal affective climate was associated with more positive patterns. Siblings' sequential behavioral patterns tended to be complementary rather than reciprocal in nature. The study illustrates a novel use of GMM and makes a theoretical contribution by showing that young children exhibit distinct types of temporal behavioral sequences that are related to parenting processes.
Medical subject headings
- Child Behavior
- Sibling Relations