This study examined the proportion of cooperative play in 4-year-old children across centers (housekeeping, block, manipulative, and computer) and gender in a natural classroom setting. Eighty-four white, middle-income children (41 boys and 43 girls, mean age = 55 months) were videotaped during free-play for 30 minutes per day for four weeks in…

This study examined the variation in children's choice of learning centers in a naturalistic, free-play setting. The study was designed to develop a realistic picture of how 4- and 5-year-olds interact in each of 4 settings (computer, dramatic play, block, and manipulative) to allow for comparison of their behaviors between genders and across…