RESUMO
Resumen Los elogios son definidos como devoluciones positivas otorgadas a personas sobre sus atributos, sobre la realización de una tarea o sobre los objetos o productos realizados. Los distintos tipos de elogios que los cuidadores primarios o padres utilicen con los infantes cuando ellos realicen una actividad impactarán en su desarrollo, en las creencias o percepción de sí mismos o de los modos de aprender, y en la motivación hacia esas tareas que la niña o el niño realice. Estos modos de elogiar no han sido estudiados en la Argentina y no existen instrumentos estandarizados psicométricos para evaluarlos. Por esto, el objetivo de este estudio fue la creación y validación de una técnica de auto-reporte para evaluar los elogios que otorgan los cuidadores a infantes de 0 a 3 años. Los participantes que conformaron la muestra (. = 128) fueron reclutados por medio de internet y completaron un cuestionario de escala Likert de aproximadamente cinco minutos de duración. A partir del análisis factorial exploratorio, se ajustó la técnica y se agruparon las preguntas del cuestionario en tres dimensiones: elogios de persona, proceso y producto. Esto permitiría hacer una evaluación breve y sencilla de los elogios utilizados, lo que en un futuro aportaría a intervenciones o estudios que pretendan favorecer elogios que beneficien un desarrollo adaptativo de los infantes. Sin embargo, aún es necesario un futuro estudio que indague cambios en la técnica con un mayor tamaño muestral para la realización de una validación más exhaustiva.
Abstract Praise is defined as positive feedback given to people about their attributes, their performance, the objects or products made by them. The different types of praise that primary caregivers or parents use with infants when they carry out an activity will impact on their development, beliefs or perception of themselves or types of learning, and motivation toward the tasks that the children perform. One type of praise is the praise directed towards an individual, which compliments their own attributes such as her intelligence. Another one is the product praise, which is directed towards the final objects or actions that the infant performs, such as a drawing or physical activities. Finally, a praise directed at the process aims to congratulate the infant during the task as a process, either for making an effort or for the strategies that they use to achieve something. This last kind of praise favors perseverance in the face of new tasks to a greater extent, while praise directed at the person could generate more frustration when the infant experiences failure. Therefore, the way caregivers interact with infants is relevant, since it modulates motivation and the development of different skills. For this reason, the main objective of this study was the creation and validation of a self-report technique to assess the praise that Argentinean caregivers give to infants from 0 to 3 years of age. The sample was made up of 128 primary caregivers (. = 128) who were recruited through the internet. They completed a Likert scale questionnaire of approximately 5 minutes of duration. The data was collected during preventive social isolation due to COVID-19. This could lead to changes in parental behavior, while it also provides ecological value for understanding the ways to praise in this context, where caregivers spend a lot of time with infants; however, it would be important to conduct future research outside of this context. An exploratory factor analysis was performed, which led to an adjustment in the technique by eliminating four items in order to improve the psychometric characteristics of the instrument. By this analysis, the formation of the three dimensions was justified by the types of praise: person, process, and product praise.The final instrument consisted of 13 phrases that represent possible compliments used by caregivers. Participants indicated how often they usually use those compliments on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). The items are divided by types of praise: six were assigned to the product dimension, three to the process dimension and four to the person dimension. The internal consistencies of the dimensions were process (α = .91), product (α = .74) and person (α = .73). This self-report technique for primary caregivers of infants would allow a short and simple evaluation of the praise used. In future research, this technique would allow an assessment of praise for the realization of studies that seek to expand the knowledge about how they affect child development. Likewise, it would contribute to the development of interventions with caregivers aimed to promote praise that benefits an adaptive development of infants. However, more studies are needed to investigate possible changes in the inventory, such as the inclusion of neutral praise or negative feedback. Furthermore, a larger sample size would be necessary to carry out a more exhaustive validation, performing a confirmatory factor analysis, convergent variance and factor invariance.
RESUMO
El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la relación entre la motivación de dominio de infantes y las variables parentales, como la parentalidad positiva y los elogios otorgados por cuidadores primarios de Argentina. De esta manera sería posible ampliar el conocimiento del funcionamiento vincular entre cuidadores e infantes e identificar qué conductas parentales favorecen el desarrollo motivacional infantil. Para ello se utilizó el cuestionario de Dimensiones de Motivación de Dominio (Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire; DMQ), la Escala de Parentalidad Positiva (E2P) y la escala de elogios otorgados por cuidadores primarios a infantes. Los participantes evaluados fueron 107 cuidadores primarios de Argentina, de infantes de entre 0 y 3 años. Se realizó una regresión lineal múltiple, que mostró como resultado que la parentalidad positiva junto con la edad contribuyen a la motivación de dominio infantil, mientras que los elogios no fueron predictores de esta variable. Se concluye y se enfatiza la relevancia de las competencias parentales positivas durante la crianza de los infantes para un desarrollo adecuado de la motivación y habilidades cognitivas/emocionales. Incluir el desarrollo de estas competencias en intervenciones con cuidadores primarios sería pertinente y sustancial para favorecer el desarrollo integral de los menores.
O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a relação entre a motivação de maestria de crianças e variáveis parentais, como a parentalidade positiva e ps elogios concedidos pelos cuidadores primários na Argentina. Dessa forma, seria possível expandir o conhecimento do funcionamento do vínculo entre cuidadores e crianças e identificar quais comportamentos parentais favorecem o desenvolvimento motivacional infantil. Para isso, foi utilizado o Questionário de Dimensões de Motivação de Maestria (Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire - DMQ), a Escala de Parentalidade Positiva (E2P) e a Escala de Elogios concedidos pelos cuidadores primários a crianças. Os participantes avaliados foram 107 cuidadores primários de crianças de 0 a 3 anos na Argentina. Foi realizada uma regressão linear múltipla, mostrando como resultado que a parentalidade positiva, juntamente com a idade, contribuem para a motivação de maestria infantil, enquanto os elogios não foram preditores dessa variável. Conclui-se enfatizando a relevância das competências parentais positivas durante a criação das crianças para um desenvolvimento adequado da motivação e habilidades cognitivas/emocionais. Incluir o desenvolvimento dessas competências em intervenções com cuidadores primários seria pertinente e substancial para favorecer o desenvolvimento integral das crianças.
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the motivation for child mastery and parental variables such as positive parenting and praise given by primary caregivers in Argentina. In this way, it would be possible to expand the understanding of the relational dynamics between caregivers and infants and identify which parenting behaviors promote children's motivational development. The Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ), the Positive Parenting Scale (E2P), and the Scale of Praise given by primary caregivers to infants were used for this purpose. The participants were 107 primary caregivers of infants aged between 0 and 3 years in Argentina. Multiple linear regression was conducted, revealing that positive parenting, along with age, contribute to child mastery motivation, while praise was not a predictor of this variable. In conclusion, the significance of positive parenting skills during infant rearing for the appropriate development of motivation and cognitive/emotional abilities is emphasized. Including the development of these skills in interventions with primary caregivers would be relevant and crucial for promoting the comprehensive development of children.