Theoretical Assumptions

For the past 20 years, Carolyn Webster-Stratton and her colleagues at the University of Washington's Parenting Clinic have worked to develop and evaluate training programs for families with children ages 3 to 8 with conduct problems.

 Gerald R. Patterson's theoretical work on childhood aggression strongly influenced the development of the training programs. Patterson's social learning model emphasizes the importance of the family and teacher socialization processes, especially those affecting young children. His coercion hypothesis states that negative reinforcement develops and maintains children's deviant behaviors and the parents' and teachers' critical or coercive behaviors. The parents' or teachers' behaviors must therefore be changed so that the children's social interactions can be altered. If parents and teachers can learn to deal with children's misbehavior and to model positive and appropriate problem-solving and discipline strategies, the children can develop social competence and reduce aggressive behavior at home and at school.

Bandura's modeling and self-efficacy theories form the basis for the training which is based on principles of videotape modeling, rehearsal, self-management, and cognitive self-control.