An experimental investigation of the role of appraisal processes in adolescents and their mothers experiencing family conflict.

A social information processing perspective was used to investigate appraisal processes in family conflict situations. Fifty-five young adolescents (32 males and 23 females) and their mothers who were experiencing sufficient conflict to seek mediation assistance, were presented with hypothetical scenarios depicting common sources of conflict. Participants were randomly assigned to two time conditions. After reading each scenario, participants chose one of four interpretations (two hostile and two non-hostile). Time condition did not influence the number of hostile interpretations for mothers, but when instructed to respond quickly, adolescents were more likely to interpret their mother's behaviour as hostile. The findings highlight the need for investigation of specific stressors which influence appraisal processes in family conflict.