Caregivers are often encouraged to praise children to reduce externalizing behavior. Although several theoretical perspectives suggest that praise works (e.g., praise reinforces positive behavior), others suggest it may not (e.g., children dismiss praise or experience it as controlling). This longitudinal-observational study examined whether (a) caregivers' praise and children's externalizing behavior were related; (b) an evidence-based parenting program increased caregivers' praise; (c) and increasing praise reduced children's externalizing behavior. Participants (387 caregiver-child dyads) were randomly assigned to a 14-session parenting program (aiming to improve parenting behavior, partly via praise) or a control group. Children (aged 4-8 years, 45% girls) scored at or above the 75th percentile on externalizing behavior problems. Caregivers (91% Caucasian, 85% born in the Netherlands, 50.5% highly educated) were mostly mothers (91%). At baseline, postintervention, and follow-up, we assessed caregivers' labeled and unlabeled praise via in-home observations, and children's externalizing behavior via caregiver-reports and observations. At baseline, caregivers' unlabeled praise was related to more (rather than less) externalizing behavior. The parenting program successfully increased praise and reduced caregiver-reported (but not observed) externalizing behavior; importantly, however, praise did not mediate the program's effect on caregiver-reported externalizing behavior. Although the program did not directly reduce observed externalizing behavior, it did so indirectly via labeled praise. Our results suggest that, although praise and externalizing child behavior are related, praise may not be a key mechanism underlying the effects of the parenting program. If praise has beneficial effects on children's externalizing behavior, these effects are probably limited to labeled praise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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看护人对表扬的使用会减少孩子的外化行为吗？在育儿计划的背景下进行的纵向观察测试。

经常鼓励照顾者表扬孩子以减少外化行为。尽管一些理论观点认为表扬是有效的（例如，表扬可以加强积极的行为），但其他人认为它可能不会（例如，孩子们不理会表扬或将表扬视为控制）。这项纵向观察研究检查了 (a) 照顾者的表扬和儿童的外化行为是否相关；(b) 循证育儿计划增加了看护者的称赞；(c) 增加表扬会减少儿童的外化行为。参与者（387 名看护人-孩子）被随机分配到一个 14 节的育儿计划（旨在改善育儿行为，部分通过表扬）或一个对照组。儿童（4-8岁，45% 的女孩）在外化行为问题上得分达到或高于 75%。照顾者（91% 是白种人，85% 出生在荷兰，50.5% 受过高等教育）大多是母亲（91%）。在基线、干预后和随访中，我们通过家庭观察评估了照顾者的标签和未标签表扬，并通过照顾者报告和观察评估了儿童的外化行为。在基线时，看护者的无标签赞美与更多（而不是更少）外化行为有关。育儿计划成功地增加了表扬并减少了照顾者报告的（但未观察到的）外化行为；然而，重要的是，表扬并没有调节项目对照顾者报告的外化行为的影响。尽管该程序并没有直接减少观察到的外化行为，它通过贴上标签的赞美间接做到了这一点。我们的研究结果表明，虽然表扬和外化儿童行为是相关的，但表扬可能不是养育计划效果的关键机制。如果表扬对儿童的外化行为有有益的影响，那么这些影响可能仅限于贴上标签的表扬。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2022 APA，保留所有权利）。