Strategic collaboration according to the law of comparative advantage involves dividing tasks based on the relative capabilities of group members. Three experiments (N = 405, primarily White and Asian, 45% female, collected 2016-2019 in Canada) examined how this strategy develops in children when dividing cognitive labor. Children divided…

This study examined the value of using a group-centered approach to evaluate process quality of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Is observed support of group processes a different aspect of classroom quality, and does it predict children's collaborative play in ECEC in the Netherlands? In two play situations, 37 teachers and 120 two- to…

Examined effects of hosts' conflicting motives on peer group entry outcomes among 68 triads of children, ages 10-12 years. Two host friends played a game for a prize that was forfeited for a smaller prize if a guest was included. Found that hosts admitted guest friends more often than nonfriends; female hosts admitted guests more often than male…

Second and third grade guests were observed while they tried to join peer hosts who were playing a game. Females guests were less obtrusive than male guests in their entries, and males guests were more assertive. Guests were less constrained when approaching same-sex than opposite-sex hosts. Female hosts were more attentive to guests than were…

Investigated the relationship between peer group identification and similarity between individuals involved in problem behavior, and whether group identification moderated group influence on development of delinquent behavior among Italian sixth- and seventh-graders. Found that group behavior interacted with reciprocity of group nominations in…