SC Connecticut News

Parents are less likely to intervene in their children's tasks if these are framed as learning opportunities, according to a recent study by Yale researchers. This approach can reduce overparenting by about 50%.

The study, published on November 21 in the journal Child Development, highlights how viewing tasks such as getting dressed as learning chances for preschool-aged children significantly decreases parental intervention. Lead author Reut Shachnai from Yale's Department of Psychology noted that when adults complete tasks for young children, it may hinder their development of self-efficacy and autonomy. "Our findings suggest that framing everyday tasks as learning opportunities can significantly reduce overparenting, and in turn boost children’s independence, persistence, and resilience," Shachnai said.

The research involved three parts. Initially, 77 parents of 4-to-5-year-olds were surveyed to understand their perceptions of children's learning and overparenting behaviors. The results indicated that parents intervened less in tasks perceived as greater learning opportunities.

An experiment conducted at a Philadelphia children's museum further tested this theory. Children were asked to dress up in hockey gear while some parents were informed that the task was a significant learning opportunity. These parents performed fewer actions for their child compared to those who weren't given this information.

A follow-up experiment with 80 parent-child pairs explored whether the magnitude of the perceived learning opportunity influenced parental intervention. The results showed no difference based on whether the task was seen as a major or minor opportunity; what mattered was perceiving it as a chance for learning.

Julia Leonard, senior author and assistant professor at Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, emphasized the implications for time-pressed parents: "Based on our work, we can recommend... take a moment to appreciate all that they can learn from trying to complete the task on their own."

Mika Asaba from Yale and Lingyan Hu from the University of Pennsylvania also contributed to this study.