The Influence of Cohort and Age of Child on Discipline Style
Savitrie Lekhai
Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation
College: College of Liberal Arts
Major: Psychology/Forensic Psychology
Faculty Research Mentor: Verneda Hamm-Baugh
Abstract:
As societal norms, cultural expectations, and psychological understanding of child development change over time, parents may adopt varying disciplinary approaches. Moreover, the age of the child often dictates the appropriateness and effectiveness of specific discipline techniques. The present study was designed with two scenarios that were created to describe a child of either 4 or 8 years of age, either hitting a sibling or not doing chores. Participants read each scenario and selected their preferred discipline which ranged from a verbal explanation of the wrongdoing to the more severe discipline of spanking. It was hypothesized that the age of the child, based on the circumstances would affect the decision in how they would be disciplined.