Experts in child development and related practice hold a common view that parents should learn parental sensitivity to child behavior. The responses that parents give to their children have a significant impact on the development of the child. Interestingly, studies on the parental sensitivity project limit focus on the adolescent mothers and fathers. Parental sensitivity focuses on the response pattern to the infant’s behavior.
Mary Ann McGovern article “Sensitivity and Reciprocity in the Play of Adolescent Mothers and Youth Fathers with Their Infants” explore the adolescent mothers and father’s sensitivity and reciprocity to their four month old infants. The author aims to establish the sensitivity and reciprocity patterns of adolescent mothers and fathers. The study of reciprocity and sensitivity of adolescent parents is limited, however, related studies focusing on middle age parents have illustrated that interaction patterns among the three family members mother father and the infant tend to be different. Some researchers have demonstrated that fathers tend to dedicate more time playing with the infant, but are less likely to know most of the child clue than the mother. Some studies examining the reciprocity and sensitivity of adolescent parents to their six month old infant revealed that in triadic context, mothers were more sensitive to the responses of the infants than the fathers. McGovern article uses the Sameroff’s Transactional Model which suggests that the three interacting family members create a set of trend in the family system that defines the relationship of members to each other. By basing the study on the T model the, author aims at predicting the adolescent mothers and fathers’ response to their 4 month old infant in a dyadic context.
What is the purpose of the data-based decision making strategy (i.e., describe, compare, correlate, or predict)?
The purpose of data based decision making strategy is to predict the sensitivity and reciprocity of the adolescent fathers and mothers. The author aims at establishing the sensitivity and reciprocity trends between adolescent fathers and mothers.
What is the object of the data-based decision making strategy?
The object of decision making strategy is a descriptive analysis. The author attempts to explain the behavior of the adolescent parents to their four month old infants in order to give a prediction of the adolescent mothers and fathers’ sensitivity and reciprocity to their children. The analysis uses manageable data to predict a trend on the study topic. The author sampled data from parents of varied ethnic background in order to test and protect the behavior of the parents when interacting with their children.
How is the focus/purpose of the data-based decision making strategy stated (i.e., what stage of the data-based decision making strategy process is addressed specifically)?
How is the data-based decision making strategy framed or stated (e.g., in light of what concerns, issues, concepts, or theories)?
What understanding of methods and methodology must one have in order to make sense of the policy’s development?
One must demonstrate an understanding of child attachment to parents or guardians. The child’s attachment to the parents or the guardian stems from the response that the child receives in the environment. Critics have demonstrated that attachment of the child to the parent borders on how secure the child feels when he or she is in the company of the parent. One must also displays ability to identify the sensitivity of the child to parental behavior. Further, the knowledge of the infant’s clue is vital because it defines the nature of the response that the child and the parent would make. One must also know various types of plays that a parent would offer to a child of four months old. The plays would influence the behavior of the child during the study. Infants are able to read the mood of the parents and reciprocate by making certain clues. Largely, the parent must be able to identify these cues and respond to them appropriately.
Construct the way in which the data-based decision making strategy was to be designed:
The parents and infants were recruited from Teen pregnancy clinic. The facility offers interdisciplinary services to pregnant adolescent mothers. The mothers recruited had to be the biological mother of the infant and be with the teenage age (13-18 years). The infants recruited had to be within the age of 36-44 weeks. In addition, the infants had to be free from any abnormality. The sampled data constituted of 15 mothers, infants and fathers. The mothers’ age was in a range of 14-19 years whereas the age fathers’ was in the range 15-26 years. Thirteen of the mothers were under 18 years of age whereas only seven of the fathers were under 18 years. Only two of the couples were married. Five of the couples are living as couples.
The data was generated through observing the sensitivity of the parents to their children. Further, the analyst observed the play and the interaction between the parents and child.
The data observed was tabulated in tables of frequency of behavior per fifteen minute session, object of play and the number of times they were used, and rating of sensitivity and reciprocity in the interactions. The data analysts used the tables to monitor the activities or trends exhibited by the fathers, children and mothers. As expected, the instigated behavior, for example, was to influence certain response by the mother, fathers or child. From the responses, the data analyst was able to measure the sensitivity of the mother and father.
How does the way in which the data-based decision making strategy was developed fit with the original conceptualization of the problem?
The setting of the study was largely based on theories and literatures about the sensitivity and reciprocity of the fathers and mothers to the child. The activities selected in the study focused on the conceptualized problem. For instance, monitoring the fathers and mothers play with their children for the 15 minutes. Further, recording the behavior of the sensitivity of the father and mothers to clues of the child led to the creation of the table used to analyzing the hypothesis.
What criticisms would you raise of the data-based decision making strategy process utilized?
The data based decision making method used is effective when the tested sample is large. In addition, the accuracy of the observation is critical in defining the result of this study. Thus, it can be assumed that the accuracy of this result depends on the ability of the data analyst accurately to record the sensitivity of the mother or father to the child. In this case, an error might arise when the data analyst does not note the minor clues made by the child to either parent. Nevertheless, the result posted by this study tends to cement the previous assumption that women are more sensitive to the clues of their children than men. It also emerged that some of the parents were unable to play with the children because they did not know the common plays which enticed their children. Although the accuracy of any study cannot be ideal, the result established in this study was remarkable because the sample were able to perform a specific task assigned without failing.
