Taiwanese Mothers’ Perceptions of the Relationship Between Interactions with Their Infants and the Development of Social Competence

This study explored the perceptions of 13 Taiwanese mothers of 12‐month‐olds of the benefits of parent‐infant interaction for the development of social competence, as well as the relationships between important social competence benefits and their own roles in achieving these benefits. Results indicated that infants were involved in interactions that their mothers saw as contributing to the development of two components of social competence, an emotional component, and a social component. Themes identified within each component were congruent with traditional cultural notions relating to development of an interdependent self. Implications are drawn for early intervention and for further research.