RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADULT NURTURANCE AND DEPENDENCY AND PERFORMANCE OF PRESCHOOL CHILD

Determined the relationships between adult nurturance and child dependency and performance in a complex task. Sex differences were also investigated. Hypothesis 1 was that performance of preschool children on a complex task is more efficient under nurturant conditions than under nurturance-deprivation conditions. Hypothesis 2 stated that under nurturance deprivation children high in dependency will perform less efficiently than children low in dependency. Sex differences were expected in performance and dependency behavior as a function of level of nurturance and nurturant vs. nurturant-deprivation conditions. Ss were 24 4-yr-old children, 12 of each sex, in a federally supported preschool program. They were divided into high- and low-dependency groups, and assigned randomly within each group to either a nurturant or nurturance-deprivation condition. A puzzle task was administered to assess performance. Both Hypotheses 1 and 2 received significant support. No sex differences were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.