Journal of Family Psychology 1994, Vol. 8, No. 2, 160-169 Copyright 1994 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0893-3200/94/S3.00 Young Children's Responses to Constructive Marital Disputes M. Ann Easterbrooks, E. Mark Cummings, and Robert N. Emde Toddlers (at ages 12, 18, 24, and 36 months) and their parents participated in a longitudinal observational study of children's responses to constructive marital disputes. In a laboratory setting, couples engaged in a revealed difference marital problem-solving discussion while their child was in the room. Marital interactions were characterized as constructive on the basis of observed rates of positive and negative marital behaviors. The observational coding of child behavior included occurrence of distress, interference, distraction, play, smiling, and other positive behaviors. There was temporal stability in couples' interactions but not in individual child behavior. Children with more difficult temperaments were more reactive. Results highlighted the balance between the positive and interfering behaviors of toddlers during constructive marital disputes. Two decades of research on the effects of divorce and discord on children (see reviews by Emery, 1982; Grych & Fincham, 1990) have allowed investigators to construct a model of the linkages between conflict and children's adaptive functioning. This literature highlights the negative effects of exposure to angry con- flict between adults on children's emotional regulation. As the field moves forward, there is a growing recognition of the need for a multi- dimensional, process-oriented view of the rela- tion between conflict and children's adaptation (E. M. Cummings & Davies, 1994). M. Ann Easterbrooks, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study, Tufts University; E. Mark Cummings, Department of Psychology, West Virginia Univer- sity; Robert N. Emde, Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado. Portions of this article were presented at the 60th biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1993. Support for this project was provided, in part, by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Early Childhood Transitions Network to M. Ann Easterbrooks, E. Mark Cummings, and Robert N. Emde and by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH22803 and KO2 MH36808 to Robert N. Emde. We gratefully acknowledge the research assistance of Mona El-Sheikh, Angela Giacoletti, Ellen Pach- man, and Jennifer Zalucky. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to M. Ann Easterbrooks, Eliot-Pearson De- partment of Child Study, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155. An emerging interest in the study of construc- tive marital interaction, as well as marital dis- cord, is one component of this broader focus. According to this view, marital conflict (a) is a certainty of family life and (b) may have con- structive as well as detrimental effects on the development of children (E. M. Cummings & Davies, 1994). Therefore, a concentration on the negative consequences of marital conflict and discord may have the effect of "pathologiz- ing" a normative family event, that is, marital interactions surrounding areas of disagreement. In a broad conceptualization of marital con- flict, constructive marital disputes, in which parents openly discuss areas of disagreement, may be beneficial to children. Exposure to emo- tions, both positive and negative, may be an important aspect of emotional sensitivity, em- pathy, and social competence among children (Cassidy, Parke, Butkovsky, & Braungart, 1992; Easterbrooks & Emde, 1988). Seen in this light, constructive marital disputes may actually benefit children by introducing them to effec- tive strategies of conflict resolution. At present, however, we know little about the nature and impact of constructive conflict on children. Do children's immediate responses suggest that the impact of constructive marital disputes is positive (e.g., eliciting smiling, laughter, and sustained play) in the same way that discord produces immediate responses of distress and anger? Angry disputes between adults elicit efforts by children to mediate the conflict, particularly among children from high- 160 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.