PCIA-II

Researchers and practioners use the PCIA-II to understand how adults and children interact with one another through language and behavior while playing. The task involves a structured way of videorecording adults and children as they go on a make-believe trip to the zoo. Later, the parents and children may be shown parts of the videorecording and are asked questions about their play.

...Parents and children are videorecorded as they go on a make-believe trip to the zoo...

This type of psychological test is called a structured direct observation procedure. Researchers and clinicians view the video of the observed interaction to understand aspects of the parent, child, and how they are relating with one another across various situations. To elicit the parent and child's own understanding of their behaviors, they may be asked to comment on the video recording during the video-recall procedure.

...to understand how they relate across situations...

The PCIA-II was developed from the collaboration of psychologists and graduate students at The Menninger Clinic, University of North Texas, and the University of Indianapolis. Data from PCIA-II videorecordings are coded through the thematic analysis of narratives or the quantitative analysis of coded media. Several behavioral codes have been developed for the PCIA-II, such as parent attunement, child attachment, child aggression, disengagement, negative and positive personal comments, physical nurturance, parent negative affect, parent control, disruption of play, parent disengagement, self-reliance, and other-reliance.

The PCIA-II has been used in the study of children with ADHD, disruptive behavior disorders, depression, or various attachment styles as well as parents who are depressed, at risk of child abuse, custodial grandparents, as well as victims of domestic violence. Studies also examine postive psychology constructs such as predictions of academic or social success in children. Research or clinical work with the instrument has taken place in the USA, Canada, Scotland, Italy, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Australia. Recent work includes a forking of the PCIA-II to develop additional scenarios and coding allowing for the study of a Chinese parenting style, known as "training." Clinicians may use the PCIA-II as part of the PCIA-II/MAP intervention that involves collaborating with parents to build upon strengths and recognize and modify negative attributions.

...the
PCIA-II/MAP is a manualized treatment that may be used with the
PCIA-II...

...for identifying parenting competencies and modifyng difficulties ...

If you are a researcher or clinician interested in learning more about the PCIA-II, please review the articles that are available at this site. You may want to begin by reading the PCIA-II administration instructions [PDF], the introductory article [PDF], and a paper on the PCIA-II's psychometrics [PDF]. Other full text peer reviewed journal articles are available by following the download link; and there is also a link to descriptions of current projects. Email questions or comments to Dr. Holigrocki or Dr. Kaminski.