An Information-Processing Perspective on the Behavior of Neglectful Parents

Abstract

This article examines research on neglectful parents to develop theory on how and why neglectful behavior occurs. Using cognitive theory on information processing, four stages at which parents could fail to respond to signals of children's needs are identified. Specifically, parents could fail to respond to stimuli indicative of children's need for care because they (a) did not perceive the signal, (b) interpreted the signal as not requiring a parental response, (c) knew that a response was needed but did not have a response available, or (d) selected a response but failed to implement it. It is proposed that failure at each stage represents a different type of neglect. Moreover, each stage is hypothesized to be associated with different types of parental developmental history and to call for different types of intervention.