A search for parenting style: A cross-situational analysis of parental behavior

Cross-situational stability in parents' emotional warmth and guidance was s tudied by observing parents (N = 77, M age = 38 years) with their school-ag ed child in 2 dyadic problem-solving situations and in a family discussion concerning a moral dilemma. The observational data were coded by independen t observers using dimensional ratings and dichotomous frequency counts as t he 2 coding procedures. These procedures yielded a similar pattern of findi ngs. Parents tended to behave consistently across situations, although the type of situation did affect the amount of emotional warmth and guidance ma nifested by the parent. Stability was further analyzed by means of structur al equation modeling to test whether variance in parents' emotional warmth and guidance across situations was attributable to a generalized parenting style factor. A Parenting Style factor was identified that reflected the pa rents' child-centeredness; this factor explained, in part, parental behavio r within each situation, although contextual factors also contributed to si tuation-specific variations from task to task.