| Abstract: | 18 2.5–6.5 yr old and 18 7–9 yr old White sibling pairs were observed in their homes and yards while engaged in unstructured naturalistic activities. Each observation session lasted 35 min, and each child's behavior was coded separately. Roles were operationalized and observed as follows: teacher, learner, manager, managee, helper, helpee, and observer. Analyses showed that older siblings across both age groups assumed the manager and helper roles more often than their younger siblings, while younger siblings assumed the observer, managee, and helpee roles more often. School-aged female siblings directed more prosocial behavior toward one another than any other age group/gender combination. Preschool-aged male siblings directed more agonistic behavior toward one another than any other combination. Older school-aged females assumed the teacher role more often than any other older siblings, and younger school-aged females assumed the learner role more often than any other younger siblings. These results held even when an analysis that controlled for differences in interaction rates was performed, with 1 exception: Female siblings of school age directed more prosocial behavior to one another than did school-aged male siblings. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
