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In the above discussion, it has been found possible to relate certain observed aspects of a little child's behavior and certain attitudes of the mother in taking care of him, documented in records of interviews with the mother and observations of the home situation. If in this correlation the authors have seemed to stress the effect of situational factors on the child's behavior, it is not that they discount hereditary influences, but rather that environmental factors are more readily observed and described. Furthermore, a study of the environmental factors permits not only a tangible evaluation of the situation but offers an approach to the understanding of the personality of the parents, since the latter determines in some measure the selection of the environment. In the case of Family Aye, the mother's need to remain in her parental home determined a complex and frustrating situation for the child.
The above case review suggests need for the evaluation of two factors in this type of parent-child relationship study: (1) the degree of importance of environmental events on the child's personality development; (2) the extent to which a child's behavior can be predicted from knowledge of the parental, especially maternal attitude. The case of Alex Aye is one which shows clearly the influence of both situational factors and maternal attitudes on the child's behavior. Although these influences cannot be quantified, it would seem that the methodology for collection of data described above is a fruitful approach to the recognition of relationship between maternal attitudes in child care practices and the child's behavior.