Power assertion in everyday mother-infant interactions

- Power assertion is a key aspect of parenting typically assessed in the laboratory.
- This study assessed power assertion in everyday mother-infant interactions.
- Mothers' power assertion showed rank-order stability.
- However, power assertion also depended on situation type and infant age.

Mothers' power assertion was assessed following everyday infant transgressions. Power assertiveness showed limited stability, increased with age, and was higher when infants were harming others and when the physical danger was more severe. Naturalistic research is key to understanding how power assertion influences social development.