The present study attempted to evaluate the influence of social class insofar as determining patterns of parental activity during a parent-to-child teaching interaction. In all respects subject composition was the same as previously reported. The experimental task required parents to explain the meaning of a proverb to their son, and during this interaction total talking time was recorded for each family member. Results supported expectations that fathers spoke more than mothers in middle-class families and almost equal to mothers in lower-class families. The meaning of class differences in family interaction is discussed and directions for research are described.
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