Background: The parent-child relationship is considered important for children's future conscience, and conscience is seen as protecting them from disruptive behavior problems, but specific mechanisms of this developmental process are rarely studied. Methods: This multi-trait multi-method study examined, in a longitudinal design, paths linking…

Parental power assertion is traditionally studied in the behavioral domain--discipline triggered by the child's immediate misbehavior--but rarely in the cognitive domain--parent-child discussions of the child's past misbehavior. Maternal power assertion was observed in "do" and "don't" discipline contexts from 14 to 45 months and in the context of…

Mothers' child rearing and discipline, and toddlers' anxiety and compliance to mothers' demands, were measured. Measures of children's conscience, taken six years later, were related to maternal child rearing practices that deemphasized the use of power, and the level of toddlers' compliance to maternal demands. (BC)