Measuring Mothers’ Warmth: Naïve Observers, Trained Coders, and Self-Reports

Abstract

SYNOPSIS Objective. The current research evaluated whether thin slicing, which involves brief observations of others’ behaviors, is useful in understanding maternal warmth in the context of mother-child interaction. Design. The extent to which naïve observers’ ratings based on brief observations correspond to other reports of maternal warmth as well as the predictive validity of such ratings were evaluated in 158 pairs of European American mothers and their early adolescent children engaged in a set of problem-solving activities in the laboratory. Naïve (untrained) observers provided ratings of mothers’ warmth based on the first 5 min of the dyadic interaction. Trained coders rated mothers’ behaviors based on the first 5 min as well as the full 15 min video using a behavioral coding system. Mothers and children reported on mothers’ warmth using surveys. Results. Naïve observers’ ratings were associated with trained coders’ ratings, but not with child or mother reports. Child reports of mothers’ warmth were associated with both subjective and objective measures of their academic functioning. Naïve observers’ ratings of mothers’ warmth were associated with an objective measure of children’s academic functioning. Conclusions. The correspondence between naïve observers’ and trained coders’ reports of mothers’ warmth warrants further investigation into the conditions under which less time- and labor-intensive methods, such as thin slicing, can be applied to assess parents’ expressive behaviors.