Detroit Area Study, 1953: Child Training Patterns Among Urban Families and Attitudes and Perceptions of Consensus of Group Members

This study contains data on child-rearing practices of mothers of children aged 18 and younger. The study was a combination of two studies: CHILD REARING PATTERNS AMONG URBAN FAMILIES by Daniel Miller and Guy Swanson, and ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF CONSENSUS OF GROUP MEMBERS by Theodore Newcomb. Respondents were asked about their children's habits, toilet training, and bottle- and breast-feeding patterns. Respondents were also asked about their child-rearing practices, attitudes about children, views of child-appropriate and sex-appropriate tasks, handling of difficult situations with their children, and use of leisure time. Other questions explored respondents' political interests, social life, and friends. They were asked if they voted for Adlai Stevenson or Dwight Eisenhower in the last American presidential election and why. The respondents were questioned about their three best friends to determine how frequently they visited with them, how often they discussed the election with them, whom they voted for and what kind of jobs their husbands held. Demographic variables specify age, sex, race, education, place of birth, length of residence in the Detroit area, home ownership, length of time at present residence, marital status, number of children, original nationality of husband's family, income, occupation, religious preferences, and class identification.