sponses to divorce. Findings by Emery (1982) suggest that one reason for this variability is that the extent to which parents resolve conflicts following divorce mitigates its negative consequences.
Specifically, Emery states that children can adjust well to divorce and thereby minimize negative effects if parents are harmonious in their continuing interaction. On the other hand, if parents continue to bicker, fight, argue, and just in general behave in a hostile manner with one another, children do not adjust well and are therefore at risk of experiencing negative effects. It is Emery's notion that is tested in this study. So that this test can be fully understood, this chapter of the research delineates research variables and concludes with statements of the null hypotheses.
Degree of Conflict Resolution Following Divorce. Degree of conflict resolution following divorce constitutes the study's independent variable; this factor has two levels: Low in conflict and High in conflict. The variable will be operationalized by contacting both the father and the mother of the child and asking them to rate their perception of the degree of lingering argument and conflict attendant to their divorce (1=Extremely small conflict; 2=Small conflict; 3=Moderate Conflict; 4=Strong conflict; 5=Extremely Strong Conflict). Parents' ratings will be combined and averaged. Those averages that fall below 3 will be said to be divorced families that are Low in conflict. Those averages that are equal to or above 3 will be said to be divorced families that are High in conflict.
Learning. Learning constitutes the study's dependent measure. This variable is operationalized in terms of children's standard scores (M=100, S.D=15) on the Level I version of the Wide Range Achievement Test (Jastak & Jastak, 1978) which assesses learning in the academic areas of reading, spelling, and math. In other words, each child will have three learning scores, on...