Madden, J., O’Hara, J., & Levenstein, P. (1984). Home again: Effects of the Mother-Child Home Program on mother and child. Child Development, 55(2), 636–647.
| Screening Decision | Screening Conclusion |
|---|---|
| Passes Screens | Eligible for review |
| Rating | Design | Attrition | Baseline Equivalence | Reassignment | Confounding Factors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Randomized controlled trial | Low | Not applicable | None | None |
The study had low attrition for four outcomes: 1960 Stanford Binet (1973 – 1976 cohorts), PPVT (1973 – 1975 cohorts), PPVT (1973 – 1974 cohorts), and maternal interactive behavior (1974 – 1976 cohorts).
| Study Participants | The study included four cohorts of families from 1973 to 1976. To be eligible for the study, the families had to qualify for low-income housing; live in rented housing; and have children 21 to 33 months at the beginning of the program, who could be tested in English. In addition, neither resident parent could have more than a 12th grade education or be in an occupation categorized as higher than “semiskilled.” Across all cohorts, 221 families were randomly assigned. The post-program follow-up included 166 families (86 in the treatment group and 80 in the comparison group). Eighty-eight percent of the sample was African American. |
|---|---|
| Setting | Four suburban areas of New York City. |
| Intervention Services | The program (called the Mother Child Home Program) included 46 home visits each school year (10 month period) for two years. Home visitors, called Toy Demonstrators, met with the family twice a week for half hour sessions. For the first weekly visit, she brought a toy or book and modeled verbal interaction focusing on the toy or book. She also encouraged the mother to participate. The second home visit was a review session on the same toy or book. |
| Comparison Conditions | The comparison condition differed across cohorts. In 1973, the comparison families only participated in the testing. In 1974 and 1975, the comparison families were given toys and books, but did not receive home visits. In 1976, all families were recruited through an Early Screening Program, which included an IQ pretest. Families assigned to the comparison condition were invited to continue in the Early Screening Program, which was not described, but were not told about the treatment program. |
| Staff Characteristics and Training | The home visitors were either volunteer women or salaried mothers who had previously participated in the program. The Volunteers typically were college graduates and the paid home visitors usually had no more than a high school education. All home visitors participated in a training workshop; weekly group conferences in which verbal interaction skills were modeled; and individual supervision. |
| Funding Sources | Carnegie Corporation of New York, Education Commission of the States, National Institute of Mental Health, and Surdna Foundation. |
| Author Affiliation | Unknown |
| Rating | Outcome Measure | Effect | Sample | Timing of Follow-Up | Sample Size | Intervention Group | Comparison Group | Group Difference | Effect Size | Statistical Significance | Outcome Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | PPVT | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
1973 – 1974 cohorts | Post-program | 82 children | Mean = 89.48 | Mean = 90.36 | MD = -0.88 | HomeVEE calculated = -0.06 | Not statistically significant, p > 0.05 | Primary |
| High | PPVT | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
1973 – 1975 cohorts | Post-program | 111 children | Mean = 91.60 | Mean = 91.28 | Mean difference = 0.32 | HomeVEE calculated = 0.05 | Not statistically significant, p > 0.05 | Primary |
| High | Stanford-Binet | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
1973 – 1976 cohorts | Post-program | 166 children | Mean = 104.05 | Mean = 103.54 | Mean difference = 0.51 | HomeVEE calculated = 0.04 | Not statistically significant, p > 0.05 | Primary |
| Rating | Outcome Measure | Effect | Sample | Timing of Follow-Up | Sample Size | Intervention Group | Comparison Group | Group Difference | Effect Size | Statistical Significance | Outcome Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Maternal Interactive Behavior | FavorableUnfavorable or ambiguousNo Effect |
1973 – 1976 cohorts | Post-program | 114 mothers | Mean = 282.38 | Mean = 185.95 | Mean difference = 96.43 | HomeVEE calculated = 0.96 | Statistically significant, p < 0.05 | Primary |
| Rating | Outcome Measure | Description of Measure | Data Collection Method | Properties of Measure | Outcome Type | Link to delete Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | PPVT |
ThePPVT assesses receptive vocabulary for Standard American English and verbal ability in young children. |
Child assessment |
Not reported by author |
Primary | |
| High | Stanford-Binet |
The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales assess intelligence and cognitive ability in areas including verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, abstract and visual reasoning, and short-term memory. |
Child assessment |
Not reported by author |
Primary |
| Rating | Outcome Measure | Description of Measure | Data Collection Method | Properties of Measure | Outcome Type | Link to delete Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Maternal Interactive Behavior |
Frequencies of occurrence of 10 categories of behavior were tallied in four viewings of videotaped parent-child interaction. The categories were: labeling, use of color names, verbalization of actions, verbalization of number and shape, solicitation of information from the child, verbal praise, encouragement of divergent use of a toy, nonverbal indication of warmth, reply to child's vocalization, and failure to reply to child's vocalization. |
Video recording of parent-child interaction |
Pearson's r = 0.48 to 0.74 Cronbach's α = 0.82 |
Primary |
