Theories and Methods

This chapter provides a necessary prelude to the chapters to come through its discussion of the theories that guide research and the methods used to examine the questions of interest. Eight theories are presented, each of which is returned to at various places throughout the book. Two emphases emerge in the discussion of theories: the complementary nature of the eight theoretical positions and the reciprocal relation between theories and research. Just as theories guide and illuminate research, so the study of parents’ beliefs enriches each of the general theories that have directed such study. The overview of methods considers not only ways to study beliefs but also methods appropriate for the three other issues that recur throughout the book: origins of parents’ beliefs, relations between beliefs and parenting behavior, and relations between beliefs and children’s development. A special emphasis is on ways to establish causality in the interplay of parental beliefs and behaviors and child outcomes.