Parental insightfulness and parenting behavior: a two-dimensional analysis of parent contributions to child cognitive outcomes

ABSTRACT

Utilizing a two-dimensional model of parenting emphasizing both (1) proximity seeking and (2) exploration, consistent with a conceptual framework rooted in attachment theory, the relations between parental insightfulness, observed parenting, and child cognitive outcomes were investigated in a low-income sample of 64 of caregivers and their young 3–5-year-old children. Specifically, observed parental sensitivity (proximity seeking) and intrusiveness (exploration) and parental insightfulness assessed dimensionally to capture Positive Insight and Focus on Child were examined in relation to child cognitive outcomes. Parental intrusiveness was negatively correlated with cognitive performance; however, parental sensitivity was not associated with child cognitive outcomes. Parents’ capacity to remain child-focused during the Insightfulness Assessment was negatively correlated with observed intrusiveness and was associated with child cognitive performance. These results suggest unique contributions of dimensions of parental insightfulness and parenting behaviors to child cognitive outcomes – specifically, parents’ capacity to remain focused on children’s experience during the Insightfulness Assessment and nonintrusive parenting behavior, which may reflect strategies to support children’s exploration.

KEYWORDS:

• Insightfulness Assessment
• cognitive and language development
• sensitive parenting
• intrusive parenting
• attachment-related representations

Acknowledgments

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report. This project was supported by Award Numbers K12HD043451 and L30HD085275 (SG) from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, the Spencer Foundation, the Melissa Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Student Assembly. We would also like to thank David Oppenheim, Nina Koren-Karie, and the caregivers and children who participated in this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the [Grant numbers K12HD043451 and L30HD085275] from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, the Spencer Foundation, the Melissa Foundation, and the University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Student Assembly.