PARENTS ATTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR CHILDRENS BEHAVIOR

Parents' attributions for children's behavior are of interest both as a form of adult social cognition and as possible contributors to child ren's development. This article reviews work on the determinants and t he effects of parents' attributions. Included in the discussion of pos sible determinants are characteristics of the target (e.g., age and se x), characteristics of the judge (e.g., mothers vs. fathers), and char acteristics of the behavior to be explained (e.g., positive or negativ e). Included in the discussion of possible effects are effects on pare nts' affect and behavior and on children's development. The evidence s uggests that parents do form attributions for their children's behavio r and that these attributions vary in predictable (although not perfec tly consistent) ways across judges, targets, and outcomes. The evidenc e also suggests, although less certainly, that attributions affect bot h parents' behavior and children's development. The review concludes w ith suggestions for future research.