Interpersonal behaviors and complementarity in interactions between teachers and kindergartners with a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviors Debora L. Roorda a, ⁎, Helma M.Y. Koomen a , Jantine L. Spilt b , Jochem T. Thijs c , Frans J. Oort a a Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94208, NL-1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands b Department of Developmental Psychology, VU-University, Van der Boechorststraat 1, NL-1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands c ERCOMER, Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 2, NL-3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands article info abstract Article history: Received 1 February 2012 Received in revised form 3 December 2012 Accepted 4 December 2012 The present study investigated whether the complementarity principle (mutual interactive behaviors are opposite on control and similar on affiliation) applies to teacher–child interactions within the kindergarten classroom. Furthermore, it was examined whether interactive behaviors and complementarity depended on children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors, interaction time, and interaction frequency. A total of 48 teachers and 179 selected kindergartners with a variety of externalizing and internalizing behaviors were observed in a small group task setting in the natural ecology of the classroom. Teachers' and children's interactive behaviors were rated by independent observers. Teachers reported about children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Multilevel analyses indicated that both teachers and children reacted complementarily on the control dimension but not on the affiliation dimension. Teachers showed more control and more affiliation toward children with higher levels of internalizing behavior. In addition, teachers displayed less affiliation toward children with higher levels of externalizing behavior, whereas those children did not show less affiliation themselves. Teachers' and children's complementarity tendencies on control were weaker if children had higher levels of externalizing behavior. © 2012 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Teacher–child interactions Interpersonal complementarity Externalizing behavior Internalizing behavior Interpersonal theory Kindergarten 1. Introduction Teacher–child relationships have been found to predict various aspects of children's social and academic school functioning (e.g., Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Hughes, Luo, Kwok, & Loyd, 2008; Peisner-Feinberg et al., 2001). Although in the last two decades the individual teacher–child relationship has often been subject of research, studies in the early school years mostly focus on teachers' global perceptions of the relationship. Fewer researchers used observations to measure teacher–child interactions or teachers' behaviors toward an individual child (e.g., Coplan & Prakash, 2003; DeMulder, Denham, Schmidt, & Mitchell, 2000; Downer, Booren, Lima, Luckner, & Pianta, 2010; Ladd, Birch, & Buhs, 1999; McDonald Connor, Son, Hindman, & Morrison, 2005; Thijs & Koomen, 2008). These observational studies generally used global ratings or time sampling methods that were aggregated to form an overall measure of interaction quality. Observations of reciprocal influences in interactions between teachers and individual children have been scarce. Journal of School Psychology 51 (2013) 143–158 ⁎ Corresponding author at: School Psychology and Child and Adolescent Development, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102-Box 3717, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. Tel.: +32 16 3 25884; fax: +32 16 3 26144. E-mail addresses: Debora.Roorda@ppw.kuleuven.be (D.L. Roorda)., H.M.Y.Koomen@uva.nl (H.M.Y. Koomen)., J.L.Spilt@vu.nl (J.L. Spilt)., J.T.Thijs@uu.nl (J.T. Thijs)., F.J.Oort@uva.nl (F.J. Oort). ACTION EDITOR: Kathy Moritz Rudasill. 0022-4405/$ – see front matter © 2012 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2012.12.001 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of School Psychology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jschpsyc