Parents as Direct Facilitators of Children's Peer Relationships: Effects of Age of Child and Sex of Parent

Abstract

The goal of the study was to examine the impact of parental facilitation on children's play with an unfamiliar peer. Pairs of preschoolers and their parents (mothers and fathers on separate occasions) were videotaped under two conditions in an ABABA design. In one condition, (A) parents were instructed to remain passive, while in a second condition, (B) parents were asked to `help the children play together'. Children were rated as higher in social competence with their peers under conditions of parental facilitation than under conditions where parents were passive. Younger preschoolers benefited from parental assistance more than older preschoolers; younger children were less able to maintain peer interaction without parental assistance. There was little evidence that parental supervision facilitated peer interaction among older preschoolers. Fathers and mothers were equally competent facilitators in the lab. Interview data suggest that mothers are more likely to perform this direct facilitatory role in home settings. The implications of the findings for models of family-peer linkage are discussed.