Preferences regarding appropriate types of touch are influenced by culture, gender and age, (Remland, Jones & Brinkman, 1995). Previous research in this area have shown differences in regards to gender of parents and the appropriateness of touching siblings with regard to the siblings age and gender.
Other studies have found that the appropriateness of touch decreases as the child grows older. In a study conducted by Harrison-Speake & Willis, (1995), as the children’s age increases, the appropriateness of kissing, lap-sitting, sleeping and bathing become less appropriate, more so for fathers then for mothers. Harrison-Speake et al. (1995), used a rating scale from 1 to 5, 1 being very inappropriate and 5 being very appropriate, to questions asked about the appropriateness of different types of touch between parents and children of different gender and age. Their results reflect that of fairly clear norms for parent/child touch. As the child increased in age certain types of touch became less appropriate. Bathing became more inappropriate as the child became older, between the ages of 6 and 10. Opposite sex bathing was less approved of between ages 10 to 14, being more inappropriate for boys to be bathed by either parent than girls. Approval rate was higher for mothers bathing older siblings then for fathers. Kissing approval rates were found to decline as the child aged, more so for fathers kissing sons then for mothers kissing daughters. Lap-Sitting showed decreased approval as the child aged, more appropriate for mothers then for fathers. Sleeping again provided declining approval as the child’s age increased, no data was available regarding gender of child.
In a study conducted by Willis,& Rinck, (1983), a personal log was kept by university students to rate the types of touch they encountered over a period of time. It was found that females were more likely to initiate personal touch then males, and females were more likely to experience sexual touches by the opposite gender then were males.
In a study conducted by Major, Scmidlin & Williams, (1990), using the unobtrusive observational method it was revealed that females are more likely to receive touch then males. Touch between female to female was more prevalent then touch between male to male, male to female or female to male. Where children were concerned same-sex touch was more frequent then cross-sex touch, and that females were more likely to initiate touch with children then were males. Females were more likely to touch female children then were males to touching male children, and to a lesser degree, females were more likely to touch male children then were males to touch male children.
The need for natural settings in this type of research is paramount to the results. Laboratory settings could influence the behavior of the participants involved. Unobtrusive observation methods or survey methods are best suited for this type of study. This study was conducted using the survey method.
It is hypothesized that this study replicates that of Harrison-Speake et al. (1995), suggesting significant norms for bathing, lap-sitting, sleeping and kissing, approval ratings declining as child increases in age. Mothers touch should be more approved of as the child ages rather then the fathers.
Method
Participants
Participants were ten females between the ages of 34 years to 50 years old, all mothers, and ten males between the ages of 31 years to 55 years, all fathers. All participants had at least one child of each sex. The participants were residents of a small country town.
Design
The independent variable was the types of touch, and the dependant variable was the rated level of appropriateness of the touch.
Materials and Procedure.
The participants were asked for their help in filling out a questionnaire for the benefit of a student completing an assignment in psychology. The study was completely anonymous. Names, ages, or gender was not recorded. An explanatory statement about the study was first given to each participant to read, followed by a consent form to read and sign. A one page questionnaire describing different types of touching within the family, including a scale of 1 to 5 of appropriateness of different types of touch. 1 being very inappropriate and 5 being very appropriate. After completion of the questionnaire they were asked to place it in an envelope which contained other questionnaires previously completed.
A copy of the questionnaire is enclosed in Appendix 1.
Results
Touch Condition
Lap-sitting. The relationship between child gender, child age and parent gender was significant with all relationships tested. The interaction shows that there is no decline in appropriateness for three year olds compared to eight year olds girls and boys sitting on either parents lap, daughters sitting on mothers lap, t = (19) 1.36, p<.1, daughter sitting on fathers lap, t= (19) 1.36, p<.1, son sitting on mothers lap, t=(19) .96, p<.3, son sitting on fathers lap, t=(19) .96, p<.3. A very small decline in appropriateness was found for son and daughters sitting on father’s lap to son and daughter sitting on mother’s lap, as their age increased. The appropriateness of lap sitting with both parent/child genders decreases as the child’s age increases, but minimal differences are shown between parent and child genders. Means and standard deviations are provided in Table 1.
Table 1
Approval Ratings for Lap-Sitting by Parent Gender, Child Gender, and Child Age
Father Mother
Age Boys Girls Boys Girls
Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
3 5 0 4.95 .97 5 0 4.95 .97
8 4.75 .53 4.8 .51 4.75 .53 4.8 .51
Kissing. Analysis conducted between eight year olds, father kissing son to mother kissing daughter found a small degree of difference, t (19) = 2.08, p < .05. Although as age increased, it became less appropriate for mothers to kiss sons, t (19) = .30, p<.5, then for fathers to kiss daughters, t (19) = 3, p<.005. In 3 year olds there was little difference between either parent or child gender, father kissing son or daughter, t (19)=2.24,p<.03, mother kissing son or daughter, t (19)=1.49,p<.1. Means and standard deviations are presented in Table 2.
Table 2
Approval Ratings for Kissing by Parent Gender, Child Gender, and Child Age
Father Mother
Age Boys Girls Boys Girls
Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD
3 4.45 .39 4.6 .8 4.75 .54 4.65 .65
8 3.95 1.02 4.15 .91 4.05 1.02 4.2 .81
Sleeping. Analysis of three year old and eight year old sons sleeping with parents show a small degree of decrease in appropriateness as their age increases, t (19) = 3.85, p<.001. Daughters sleeping with their parents also show a decrease in appropriateness as age increases, t (19) = 4.14, p>.001. The results suggest that it is more appropriate for sons to sleep with their parents at age eight then it is for daughters to sleep with their parents at age eight. The mean and standard deviations of gender and age are presented in Table 3.
Table 3
Approval Ratings for sleeping with Parents, Child Gender and Age
Age Boys Girls
Mean SD Mean SD
3 4.45 .97 4.65 .57
8 3.45 1.43 3.45 1.43
Bathing. The results suggest that as the child’s age increases regardless of gender it becomes less appropriate for parents to bath them. Father bathing daughters is less appropriate than mothers bathing daughters, and mothers bathing sons is less appropriate then fathers bathing sons. Fathers bathing sons, t (19) = 4.61, p> .001, Fathers bathing daughters, t (19) = 3.61, p<.001, mothers bathing daughters, t (19) = 4.4, p>.001, mothers bathing sons, t (19) = 4.5, p = >.001. Overall the results suggest that for three year old children it is more appropriate for mothers to bath them then fathers, and as child’s age increases, same sex bathing appears more appropriate. Means are presented in Table 4.
Table 4
Mean Approval Ratings for Parents bathing Children, Gender and Age
Father Mother
Age Boys Girls Boys Girls
Mean Mean Mean Mean
3 4.85 4.8 4.9 4.9
8 3.65 3.5 3.55 3.8
Discussion
The results of this study clearly represent that of Harrison-Speake et al. (1995), study, indicating that as the child’s age increases, the level of appropriate touch decreases. As was hypothesized, the results of this study indicate that for children aged 3 years, there is little difference between gender of child or gender of parent in all types of touch that were investigated. As the child increases in age to 8 years it comes more inappropriate for the father to bath the daughter and the mother to bath the son, but less appropriate for the father to bath the son. Lap-sitting shows a small degree of decline in appropriateness as the child ages, the results indicate that it is more inappropriate for the son to sit on either parent’s knee then the daughter. Results in kissing show to a small degree that it becomes less appropriate for the father to kiss his son and the mother to kiss the son as the child’s age increases. There was no difference between the mother kissing the daughter and the father kissing the daughter as the child’s age increased. The results on sleeping did not reflect the norms as the other results did.
It was hypothesized that as the child’s age increased, the rate of appropriateness for sleeping with parents at age 8 would decrease with both genders at much the same rate. The results clearly indicated that the rate of appropriateness of child sleeping with parents at age 8 decreases, however more so with the daughter sleeping with the parents then the son.
This study was conducted by selecting adults with the following set criteria; equal amount of females to males, all being parents with children of both the sexes and ages investigated (3 and 8 years). To clearly determine the appropriateness of touch among family members, it was felt necessary to explore the feelings of parents and their attitudes of touch within the family home. As the results clearly indicated, the difference between ages, although significant, was slight. It was suggested that using a sample from a small country town, family interaction could be seen to be the norm. Parents are continuing to cuddle and playfully touch their siblings when their siblings are adults. Small country towns could be more resilient to population norms, and less threatened with social norms. This is an area of interest, which could lead to possible future research.
References
Cohen, S.S., (1987). Loving touches: The magic of touch. New York: Harper &
Row.
Harrison-Speake, K., & Willis,F.N. (1995). Ratings of the appropriateness
touch among family members. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 19 (2), 85-100.
Major, B., Scmidlin, A.M & Williams, L. (1990). Gender patterns in social
touch: The impact of setting and age. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 634 – 643.
Remland, M.S., Jones, T.S., & Brinkman, H. (1995). Interpersonal distance, body
orientation, and touch: Effects of culture, gender and age. The Journal of
Social Psychology, 135, (3), 281.
Willis, F.N., & Rinck, C.M. (1983). A personal log method for investigating
interpersonal touch. Journal of Psychology, 113, 119 – 122.
Appendix A: Questionnaire given to all participants.
Appendix B: Workings of all statistical results.
