Viewing Parent-Child Interactions Through the Lens of Behaviorism

Abstract

"Coercive behaviors are maintained by both positive and negative reinforcement." (Patterson 1982) Standing in line at the grocery store behind a harried looking mother pushing a shopping cart with a 2-year-old boy and a cart full of groceries, you watch the 2-year-old reach out and grab a pack of cookies from the shelf 1. His mother says "No. Cookies will just make you more hyper. Put the cookies back on the shelf." He shakes his head no and clutches the cookies to his chest. She pries the cookies from his chubby little hands and returns them to the shelf. He emits a full-pitched scream, slaps at her, and yells "Bad Mommy". His mother moves out of his reach while he continues to scream and yell at her. The shopper in line ahead of the mother turns around and says to the boy "It sounds like someone is having a bad day. Maybe you're hungry." Neither the mother nor child respond to the shopper but the mother takes a fruit snack out of her purse and offers it to her son. He knocks the fruit snack out of her hand and uses this brief diversion to grab the pack of cookies off the shelf again. As the shopper in line ahead finishes her purchase, the mother pushes her cart forward and begins putting items on the conveyer belt. She snatches the much coveted cookies out of her son's hands and adds them to the pile of items on the conveyer belt. Her son begins wailing again. She turns to him and says "Stop it. You can have the cookies. I have to pay for them first." The clerk hurriedly scans the cookies and hands them to the mother. The mother says "Thank you" to the clerk and quickly returns the cookies to her son. The 2-year-old quiets immediately while you, the clerk, and the other shoppers breathe a sigh of relief. The toddler gives you a beatific smile as he proudly holds up his pack and says "Cookies!".