Abstract: As transactional model suggested, children are not only the passive recipients, but also active participants during the interaction of family system (Sameroff & Mackenzie, 2003). Children with different temperament may react differently to the similar parenting and induce different parenting behaviors. However, this children-effect-on-parents is often underestimated, and whether it differs in cultural context is unexplored. Chen and his colleagues (1998) have pointed out that children’s temperament, such as behavioral inhibition, has different functional meanings in social interactions and adjustments in different cultural contexts. The purpose of this study is to explore the possible bidirectional relation between maternal parenting and children’s behavioral inhibition by using cross-lagged design. A sample of 104 Children from rural areas of Gansu, China, participated in this study. The children and their mothers were invited to visit local laboratory when they were at 4 years and 6 years old. Children’s behavioral inhibition and maternal parenting were observed during Free-Play, Puzzle task and Stranger Approach vignette. Cross-lagged regression analyses were carried out to study reciprocal influences between maternal parenting and children’s behavioral inhibition. The results showed that children’s behavioral inhibition at 4 years could predict their maternal acceptance and guidance-induction at 6 years after controlling their maternal acceptance and guidance-induction at 4 years; however, maternal parenting at 4 years could not predict children’s behavioral inhibition at 6 years after controlling their behavioral inhibition at 4 years. These findings highlighted children’s active role in parent-child interaction. Besides, the results indicated that children’s high behavioral inhibition might induce more maternal acceptance and guidance-induction in rural areas, which was different from the results in urban areas of China. Therefore, the results may help us understand transactional model of parent-child relationship and the cultural adjustment meanings of children’s temperament.

Key words: behavioral inhibition, parenting, transactional model

摘要： 该研究采用纵向追踪的研究设计考察儿童的行为抑制性气质与母亲的教养行为之间的相互影响关系。104名儿童来自中国西部农村，第一次测查的平均年龄为45个月。通过录像观察编码的方式测量儿童的行为抑制性及母亲的教养行为，2年后对他们进行追踪。交叉滞后回归分析结果发现，儿童的行为抑制性对母亲的教养行为具有显著的预测作用，具体表现在对行为抑制性高的儿童，母亲在之后会表现出更多的接受性和指导性控制的教养行为。

关键词: 行为抑制性, 教养行为, 交互作用模型