ABSTRACT
Child effects have intrigued behavioral scientists for decades, and for good reason. The concept of child effects has provided a generative twist on socialization theory: Not only do adults raise children, but children may, in turn, shape the attitudes and behaviors of adults (e.g., Bell & Chapman, 1986; Russell & Russell, 1992). For example, child effects can help explain why parents change throughout the course of the family cycle. Further, by employing the concept of child effects, researchers recognize that parents are not solely responsible for family interactions. Thus, child effects could partially account for why some parents of children with behavioral problems have particularly ineffective parenting strategies, or why some child behaviors remain resistant to parenting efforts (e.g., Anderson, Lytton, & Romney, 1986; Bugenthal, Caporeal, & Shennum, 1980; Patterson, 1981). Moreover, child effects are consistent with a constructivist perspective on human development, which views the child as an active agent who shapes his or her proximate setting (e.g., Lerner & Busch-Rossnagel, 1981).
