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Toddlers' free play activities with their mothers, older siblings, and peers in the U.S. and Mexico
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TODDLERS' FREE PLAY ACTIVITIES WITH THEIR MOTHERS, OLDER SIBLINGS, AND PEERS IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO Jo Ann M. Farver. Ph.D; Department of Psychology, SGM 501, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061 Toddlers' naturally occurring free play activities with their mothers, older siblings, and peers were examined in in two cultures to understand how play partner participation differs culturally, how their participation influences toddlers' play, and to confirm prior findings from an experimental play situation with the same subjects. 60 children (30 American; 30 Mexican) aged 18, 24, & 36 months were observed and videotaped in their homes with their mothers, siblings, and play companions. Qualitative contextual features were observed, recorded, and analyzed using an activity setting model. Results confirmed the findings from prior experimental play sessions which showed that (1). American children engaged more collaborative social pretend play with their mothers; whereas Mexican children engaged in more collaborative social pretend play with their older siblings; (2). Mexican sibling-child play resembled American mother-child play: and (3.) Children's pretend play with their peers was similar in both cultures in terms of complexity, partners' mutual involvement, and their play behaviors. The results support research which has shown that siblings can be important facilitators of young childrens' early pretend and illustrates the importance of examining the social contexts of children's play behavior in different cultural settings.
TODDLERS' FREE PLAY ACTIVITIES WITH THEIR MOTHERS, OLDER SIBLINGS, AND PEERS IN THE U.S. AND MEXICO Jo Ann M. Farver. Ph.D; Department of Psychology, SGM 501, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061 Toddlers' naturally occurring free play activities with their mothers, older siblings, and peers were examined in in two cultures to understand how play partner participation differs culturally, how their participation influences toddlers' play, and to confirm prior findings from an experimental play situation with the same subjects. 60 children (30 American; 30 Mexican) aged 18, 24, & 36 months were observed and videotaped in their homes with their mothers, siblings, and play companions. Qualitative contextual features were observed, recorded, and analyzed using an activity setting model. Results confirmed the findings from prior experimental play sessions which showed that (1). American children engaged more collaborative social pretend play with their mothers; whereas Mexican children engaged in more collaborative social pretend play with their older siblings; (2). Mexican sibling-child play resembled American mother-child play: and (3.) Children's pretend play with their peers was similar in both cultures in terms of complexity, partners' mutual involvement, and their play behaviors. The results support research which has shown that siblings can be important facilitators of young childrens' early pretend and illustrates the importance of examining the social contexts of children's play behavior in different cultural settings.