Parents´ occupation with the mobile phone

Research problem and specific questions:We will study the effect of when the parent is busy with the mobile phone when the child seeks contact.If the parent did not respond to the child’s contact attempts, will this affect the child’s social referencing? i.e. whether or not the child turns to the parent to obtain information in new situations.Data and method:When the child seeks contact during an initial play situation, the parent responds with a delay (because the parent uses the mobile phone/talks to another adult/reads a newspaper).

Observed child behaviors: Contact-seeking (looks at/facing the parent, vocal expressions), affective expressions (facial expressions, gestures).In a subsequent situation, the child’s information-seeking behavior (social referencing) is studied. The child is exposed to a strange toy at the same time as the parent conveys positive information about the toy.

Whether or not the child seeks information from the parent is studied.

Thereafter, when the child gets access to the toy, we study whether the child uses the information provided by the parent.Observed child behaviors (toy exposure): Information-seeking behaviors (looks at the parent, vocalizations), affective expressions (facial expressions).Observed child behaviors  (toy exploration): Behavior regulation (looking/touching/manipulation/avoiding the toy), vocal expressions, affective expressions (facial expressions).Plan for project realisation:The study is carried out at the Child and Baby Lab, Department of psychology, Uppsala University.Relevance:A new phenomenon that has come to permeate everyday life for many people is the attraction the mobile phone calls for.

The problem is when the mobile phone becomes a competitor when children seek the parent’s attention, “Technoference” (Technology-based interruptions in parent-child interactions).Few studies have examined how parents’ mobile phone use affects the interaction with the child.

But we know from previous studies that when the parent does not pay attention the child’s contact attempts, this has been related to negative outcomes, e.g. decreased compliance, decreased eye contact, fewer contact attempts and vocalizations from the child.Being able to trust that the parent is an available source of information in new situations is extremely important when children learn to handle new situations and new objects in the surroundings.

Thus, it is important to identify phenomena that compete with the child’s contact seeking.