The development of an objective observation tool for parent-child interaction

• Published in: The Journal of speech and hearing disorders Vol. 47; no. 2; p. 165
• Main Authors: Russo, J A, Owens, Jr, R E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-05-1982
• Subjects: Adult; Child Behavior; Child Language; Child, Preschool; Communication; Humans; Language Development; Parent-Child Relations; Videotape Recording
• ISSN: 0022-4677
• DOI: 10.1044/jshd.4702.165

To address the need for objective evaluation of parent-child interactions, the investigators created a taxonomy of interactional behaviors used by parents and preverbal/early verbal children. This taxonomy was used by four judges to rate 40 1-min videotaped segments of parent-child freeplay, and the results were compared to four judges' subjective ratings of the same segments. Based on statistical analysis, the taxonomy was shortened to include only those objective behaviors that were highly correlated with the overall subjective ratings. The resultant 10-item taxonomy is discussed in relation to language development and to implications for therapy.