Cabrera on parent-child interactions
Faculty Associate Natasha Cabrera was interviewed by ABC WKOW to comment on parent-child interactions during playtime and its effect on their child’s development. Based on a study observing parent-child interactions among 74 low-income families when the children were 24 months and again at 48 months showed that, overall, fathers were more intense during intrusive play than mothers. Cabrera explains; “Moms when they’re intrusive, even though they are not as intense as dad, they really have a negative emotion. They are frowning. They are unhappy. They are not smiling. Dads are intrusive, but they’re happy.”
Additionally, Cabrera and colleagues have found that children tended to show more positive emotions during intrusive play with their fathers suggesting that even though fathers were controlling the play, they were more positive. When mothers were unhappy and intrusive, their child was less sociable. On the contrary, when mothers were happy, their child was more sociable. These findings contribute to the learning of self-regulation and social development.