SOCIAL INFORMATION-PROCESSING AND PHYSICAL CHILD-ABUSE

To increase our understanding of parental cognitions associated with p hysical child abuse, a social information processing model is describe d. Extant human information processing paradigms are used to guide the development of an organizational model which describes parental cogni tive activities believed to mediate verbal and physical aggression aga inst children. As part of the proposed model, automatic and controlled processing are used to describe how cognitions may be related. Follow ing specification of the model, a critical review of the supporting li terature is provided. Next is a description of possible relationships between personality factors and social information processing activiti es. Throughout the discussion, model limitations and suggestions for m odel testing are presented. The article concludes with a brief descrip tion of model implications for assessment and treatment of parents who physically abuse their children.