Kristin Alvarez 
Parent-Child Interactions and Relationships 
Perceptions, Practices and Developmental Outcomes

Positive parent-child interactions play an important role in fostering the development of pre-schoolers’ knowledge and understandings of their world. This book provides current research on parent-child interactions and relationships. Chapter One reviews Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) research conducted with diverse populations as well as adaptations that have been implemented. Chapter Two describes Integration of Working Models of Attachment into Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (Io WA-PCIT). Chapter Three reports results of a small open trial of Io WA-PCIT with children and their adoptive mothers. Chapter Four analyzes the educational representations and practices of Italian parents about childrearing. Chapter Five compares mothers and fathers on a variety of parenting measures that include behavioral observations as well as self-reported data. Chapter Six presents how experiences of adequate quality promote metacognitive functions. Chapter Seven analyzes mother-child interactions during the use of a touch screen tablet. Chapter Eight explores the effect engagement with media technologies has on the quality of interactions between parents and their children. Chapter Nine suggests that supporting children’s early writing with technologies can complete the traditional early literacy and writing support via a pencil and paper. Chapter Ten examines the relationship between parent teaching of environmental print to their children, child interest in environmental print, and emergent literacy skills. Chapter Eleven describes the longitudinal effects of parent-child interactions on social competence development using the Interaction Rating Scale (IRS) for eighteen-month olds to seven-year-old children.