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actions), and a fair amount of"bossing" the parent. More recent research has tended to confirm the similarity between parents of normal children in the nurturance they report (Bentley & Fox, 1991), their disciplinary regimes (Hart, de Wolfe, Wozniak, & Burts, 1992), and their teaching styles in various observational settings (Worden, Kee, & Ingle, 1987).
Behavioral observation systems intended to assess parent-child interactions of children with conduct problems should include categories known to differ between children with and without clinically significant behavior problems. In addition, these systems should include categories known to differ between parents, both mothers and fathers, of conduct problem children and normal children.
The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System
The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS; Eyberg & Robinson, 1983) is a widely used system that allows for efficient direct observation of parent-child interactions in a standardized laboratory setting using a reliable and valid method. Designed for both research and clinical purposes, the system was intended to provide practicing clinicians with a manageable and practical way to measure pre- and posttreatment changes as well as on-going treatment progress. Simultaneously, the DPICS was intended to provide researchers with a reliable and valid system that measures behaviors with sufficient detail and specificity to advance our knowledge in the assessment and treatment of behaviorally disordered children.
Some of the basic categories of the DPICS, such as direct and indirect commands, labeled and unlabeled praise, physical positive and negative, and critical statements, were