INTUITIVE PARENTING AND INFANT BEHAVIOR - CONCEPTS, IMPLICATIONS, ANDEMPIRICAL VALIDATION

On the basis of the concept of intuitive parenting, the expectation wa s formulated that a mother's tendency to reflect on her parenting beha vior would impede intuitive responses to infant signals. Also, a high quality of parental interactional behavior was expected to be related to fewer problems of the child (e.g., less crying, fewer reported diff iculties, fewer health problems). An observational study with 62 mothe rs and their 3-month-old children confirmed the assumption that reflec tion about parenting during face-to-face interactions interferes with intuitive behavior. However, in contrast to initial expectations, a hi gh quality of parenting was related, not to fewer, but rather to more health and behavioral problems of the child. Conceptual differentiatio ns of the initial assumptions are discussed.