Preschool Children's pretend and physical play and sex of play partner : Connections to peer competence

• Published in: Sex roles Vol. 52; no. 7-8; pp. 497 - 509
• Main Authors: COLWELL, Malinda J, LINDSEY, Eric W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Springer 01.04.2005; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Competence; Developmental psychology; Evidence; Females; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gender aspects; Individual Differences; Interpersonal Competence; Males; Mixed sex; Partners; Peer Groups; Peer Relations; Peer Relationship; Peer relationships; Preschool Children; Pretend play; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Sex Fairness; Sex Role Orientations; Sex roles; Social Competence; Social psychology; Social role. Sex role; Social Status; Teaching Methods; USA; Human; Preschool age; Peer relation; Sex role; physical play; pretend play; Sex; sex of peer partner; Play; Social interaction; Social aptitude; peer competence; Child; Socialization
• ISSN: 0360-0025; 1573-2762
• DOI: 10.1007/s11199-005-3716-8

This study was designed to examine associations between preschool children's pretend and physical play with same-sex, other-sex, and mixed sex peers and children's social competence with peers. Sixty predominately middle-class preschoolers (33 boys, 51 European-American) were observed on the playground at their school over a period of 4 months. Children's same-sex, other-sex, and mixed-sex peer play was observed, and teachers and peers provided assessments of children's social competence. Analyses revealed that children who engaged in more same-sex pretend play were better liked by peers and were viewed by teachers as being socially competent. In addition, girls who engaged in same-sex exercise play and boys who engaged in same-sex rough-and-tumble play were better liked by peers, whereas boys who engaged in rough-and-tumble play with other-sex peers were less liked by peers. The results suggest that child gender and gender of playmate are important factors in the association between pretend play and rough-and-tumble play and children's social competence with peers. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]