摘要：Objective: This study was focused on analyzing how different types of maternal praise influence the mutual emotional reactions between mothers and their children. Methods: Fifty-eight pairs of mothers and their 5-year-old children participated in the study. Their interactions were observed and analyzed on a second-by-second basis using a computer. During the observations, whenever the mothers expressed praise, they were categorized by praise type. The relationships between each praise type and mother child interactions were then verified. Results: All praise types showed high correlations with maternal affection. Mothers who frequently used praise also used more humor and their children more often expressed affection toward their mothers. Maternal affection was significantly related to child affection and maternal negative emotion showed a high positive correlation with child negative emotion. Finally, maternal process praise fully mediated the relationship between maternal affection and child affection. Conclusion: Our results indicate that, by scrutinizing mother child interactions on a second-by-second basis, one can analyze how a mother's reactions to her child relates to maternal praise types and how this influences her child's emotional reactions.
