| Abstract: | Studied cooperation from a group process perspective within the free play of children aged 2, 3, and 4 yrs. 72 children were distributed among 12 groups, with 3 boys and 3 girls in each group and 4 groups in each age. Two 30-min sessions were videotaped for each group to assess dimensions of cooperation such as the number of children in each subgroup, kind of play, and type of activity. Observational analyses showed that cooperation is present at every age but may develop rapidly at certain ages and plateau at others. Furthermore, results suggest that group play is not the culmination of a linear developmental process. Modifications in quantity between the 2 youngest and the oldest group suggest a cooperation continuum of its own, with large variations between groups within each age group. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
