The U’s department of psychology is conducting a study to learn how children talk to their mothers about quarrels with siblings and the effect it has on adolescence.
Its purpose is to “learn about how mothers and their children talk about meaningful events in their children’s lives,” said Holly Recchia, project coordinator for the study, which is titled Mother-Child Conversation.
The study consists of a two-hour session inside the subject’s home, where children will be asked to talk about their experiences with friends and siblings, both positive and negative.
Mothers and their children will be asked to discuss the experiences, after which both the children and the mothers will be asked privately about the same issues.
“It has long been recognized that much of children’s and adolescents’ social development occurs in the context of everyday disagreements with siblings and peers,” Recchia said.
The study is looking for 96 pairs of mother-child participants. Each child must have at least one younger sibling who is within three years of age to the child. Anyone interested in participating should call Recchia at 801-585-5094.
The study is approved by the Institutional Review Board, a committee designated to review and monitor human-based research.