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An affective-cognitive model of mother-child aggression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Carol E. Mackinnon ,
Michael E. Lamb ,
Jay Belsky  and
Cynthia Baum
Carol E. Mackinnon
Affiliation:
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Michael E. Lamb
Affiliation:
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Jay Belsky
Affiliation:
The Pennsylvania State University
Cynthia Baum
Affiliation:
Catholic University
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Abstract

This article reviews literature that explains the development and maintenance of aggressive mother-child interactions using operant learning theory, highlighting limitations in its explanatory power. We also review research on the association between perceptions and the maintenance of aggressive interactions. An integrative, multipathway model of mother-child aggression is presented in which the affective-cognitive biases of mothers and children and measures of their coerciveness help explain and predict subsequent coercive interactions. We conclude with implications for intervention.

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , January 1990 , pp. 1 - 13
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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