The Impact Of Poverty On Infant Development: A Microanalytic Study Of The Mediating Role Of Parent-Child Interaction During Pretense

Abstract

Research suggests that poverty impacts cognitive development early, as an economic achievement gap is evident prior to entry into primary school. This study examined 95 low- and middle-income parent-child dyads micro-analytically to test for income related differences in patterns of parent-child interaction during a standardized pretend play task. Sequential analysis suggested differences in parent-child contingency, with middle-income dyads evidencing stronger contingency relationships between parent and child behavior. Importantly, sequential analysis also showed that middle-income infants spend significantly more time in mutual pretend play with parents than low-income 12-month-olds. A full test of the mediation model using a micro-level measure of parent-child interaction as a mediator yielded insignificant results.