This study examined whether kindergarten-age children showed traditional gender role behaviors in their choice of play activities. Participating in the study were 9 boys and 11 girls, all 5 or 6 years old and attending the same kindergarten class in a middle size, suburban elementary school. Data on student choice behavior were gathered during the…

Investigated 19 primary school children's behavior on a school bus through naturalistic observation prior to and during the use of experimental "bus teachers" who provided safe play materials and conducted activities designed to enhance the bus experience. (ED)

Study results with 82 preschool children show that mothers' and fathers' emotion socialization strategies were different and in some cases differed with the child's gender, and that these reported emotion socialization practices were differentially related to children's behavior during peer play. (SLD)

The ways in which fathers and mothers communicate with and teach their 6-month-old first-born infants were compared. Twenty-two white, middle class mothers and fathers were videotaped interacting with their infants (11 male, 11 female) on 10 tasks. Trained observers coded the parents' interaction with their infants on the following variables:…

Examined the effects of labeling an infant as a boy or girl on adult-infant interactions. Subjects for the study were 24 fourteen-month-old infants and 24 adult strangers. (JMB)

Possible antecedents of toddler gender separation were studied with 57 toddlers with a mean age of 35 months. There were no differences between gender-segregating and nonsegregating children regarding gender toy preferences or gender awareness, but teachers saw gender-segregating girls as more socially sensitive. (SLD)

This study reveals significant differences in the organization of play between the sexes. The primary difference concerns the complexity of the social setting in which play occurs. (Author/AM)

Two studies documented gender differences in preschool children's responses to situations of vulnerability. Children playing with same sex friends showed no sex differences in time responding to vulnerability; some sex differences were noted in response type. Children's preferences for vignettes representing categories of response to the same…

The purpose of this 2-year study was to examine the relationship of choice of play-style and sex of child to the type of feedback (positive or negative) children receive from teachers and peer groups for their behavior. A list of 33 child behaviors and 15 teacher and peer reactions was used to observe the behavior of 67 children (32 boys and 35…

Explored the simultaneous sequential transition patterns of preschoolers' social play within classroom settings. Found that the proportion of social-play states did not vary during play episodes even when accounting for type of activity center, gender, and SES. Found a reciprocal relationship between parallel-aware and other social-play states…

The continuity of play styles of preschool children over a 1-year period was observed and related to teacher and peer reinforcement patterns influenced by sex stereotypes. Sixty-seven children, aged 18 months to 58 months, were observed in a natural setting using a behavior checklist consisting of 33 child behavior categories and 15 teacher- and…

This study was undertaken to explore the cultural stereotype that boys are more object-oriented and girls are more people-oriented. A total of 38 white, middle class, preschool children were observed during their free play hour at nursery school when a variety of people and objects were freely available to them. Each child was observed with a time…

Presents a study of social- and object-directed behaviors of preschool children in same or mixed age dyads. Subjects were three- and five-year-oldpreschool children. (BD)