Communication patterns and alliances between parents and adolescents during a structured problem‐solving task

The influence of gender on communication patterns and reciprocal alliances was observed within the context of a controlled problem‐solving task. Participants included 20 adolescent boys and 20 adolescent girls with their parents. The study found that families with boys engaged in more active bargaining than families with girls. Sons made offers for alliances to mothers at almost twice the rate of daughters. Also, adolescent gender may influence communication between mothers and fathers. Mothers seem particularly influenced by the gender of their adolescent, and adolescents appear to be influenced by whether they are interacting with their mother or father.