ABSTRACT
Why is it that researchers should be interested in parenting beliefs? What do we gain from asking parents about how or why they think about children and child-rearing? Wouldn't it simply be a much better idea to go straight to the point and observe parents as they interact with and relate to their children? Some time ago, Rubin and Mills (1992) wrote that the study of parental beliefs, ideas, or cognitions may represent little more than researchers’ attempts to join a revivalist movement. After all, half a century ago, it was common practice to visit parents at their homes and proceed to interview them or provide them with questionnaires. In these ways, researchers were able to discover how parents thought that children should be socialized. We also learned why parents thought that parent–child relationships were important (e.g., Dameron, 1955; Miller & Swanson, 1958; Sears, Maccoby, & Levin, 1957).
