Abstract
This study examined toddlers’ autonomy and connectedness-oriented behaviors and mothers’ encouragement of autonomy and connectedness in two cohorts (1995 and 2008) in urban China. Observational data were collected from Chinese children and their mothers in a laboratory free play session. The results showed that compared with children in the 1995 cohort (207 children, 95 boys, Mage = 24.09 months), children in the 2008 cohort (281 children, 144 boys, Mage = 24.34 months) displayed fewer connectedness-oriented behaviors and spent more time on autonomous activities. Compared with mothers in the 1995 cohort (45% with a college education), mothers in the 2008 cohort (43.4% with a college education) were less likely to display involvement in children’s activities and more likely to encourage child autonomy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1254-1260 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Developmental Psychology |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Chinese children
- autonomy and connectedness
- parenting
- social change