MATERNAL SUPPORT NETWORKS, MATERNAL COGNITIONS, AND YOUNG CHILDRENS SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENT

The relations among maternal support networks, maternal perceptions of parenting, maternal attributions for parenting situations, and childr en's social development, as indexed by peer acceptance, and cognitive performance, as indexed by the PPVT-R and PSI, were examined in a samp le of 69 mothers and their preschool-age children. Network characteris tics directly predicted cognitive performance and indirectly predicted peer acceptance through effects on maternal perceptions and attributi ons. Parent cognitions as mediators of network effects on children's d evelopment are discussed, addressing variation due to network dimensio ns, types of parent cognitions, and domain of children's development.