Infant Behavior & Development 28 (2005) 165–178 Interparental agreement on the use of control in childrearing and infants’ compliance to mother’s control strategies Eric W. Lindsey ∗ , Yvonne M. Caldera Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, P.O. Box 41162, Lubbock, TX 79409-1162, USA Received 23 August 2004; received in revised form 23 January 2005; accepted 11 February 2005 Abstract This study examined associations between interparental agreement about the use of control with children, maternal control strategies, and child compliance to mother in 55 two-parent families with 11- to 15-month-old infants (27 boys, 28 girls). Mothers and fathers reported on their beliefs about the use of control with children, and this data was used to create an interparental agreement score for each mother–father dyad. Mother’s verbal control strategies and child responses to maternal control strategies were assessed at both 14- and 18 months during a 15-min home observation play session. Results revealed that mothers who believed in the use of strict control with children used more directives when interacting with their child. Mothers who used more directives to control their child at 14 months had children who were more defiant at 18 months. Parents who agreed about the use of control had children who were more compliant at 18 months. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Interparental agreement; Child-rearing beliefs; Infant compliance Most developmentalists agree that the second year of life is important for the origins of self-regulation (Kochanska, Tjebkes, & Forman, 1998; Vaughan, Kopp, & Krakow, 1984). It is during this time that child compliance, typically defined as obedience to adult control strategies, comes under cognitive con- trol (Kagan, 1981; Kopp, 1982). Consequently, a child’s emerging compliance to parental demands is considered to be an index of self-regulatory ability, as it entails the capacity to perform a desired behavior ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 806 742 3000; fax: +1 806 742 0285. E-mail address: eric.lindsey@ttu.edu (E.W. Lindsey). 0163-6383/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2005.02.004