Identify the three ways in which children's interpersonal communication skills are developed, and for each, describe how parents impact the development process.

What will be an ideal response?

- Children learn through interaction.
* Although the effects are not always straightforward, the way your parents interacted with you impacts your behavior and attitude.
* For example, one study found a correlation between mothers' self-reports of aggressive communication styles and the styles of their college-aged children, but did not find such a relationship between fathers' communication styles and those of their children
- Children learn through instruction.
* Your parents affected your communication development by providing you with specific instructions. They overtly conveyed such communication rules as not to interrupt others, to be polite, and to maintain eye contact when talking.
* Parents also teach us about friendships and romantic relationships, imparting, for example, such memorable messages as the importance of valuing oneself and the qualities of a good relationship.
* Values can also be conveyed in messages received from parents.
* For example, one study found that memorable messages received from fathers while the child participated in sports included not giving up, acting like a good sport, being part of a team, and being loyal. Participants reported greater satisfaction in their current relationships with their fathers if they had received encouragement for exerting more effort (trying your best) and having fun, than did those participants whose fathers emphasized messages about physical skills/techniques and performance (winning).
- Children learn through observation.
* Your communication behaviors are also affected by observing your parents' interactions, such as their approaches to handling conflict. Observing destructive and hostile conflicts between parents can lead children to adopt similar styles in marriage.
* For example, in one study, the prevalence of demand-withdraw patterns of conflict between parents affected the self-reported mental well-being of their college-aged children.
* Similarly, observations of how your parents interacted with friends, coworkers, and strangers all served as potential models for your own communication behaviors.