2.  To complement standardized assessments  Two types: video vs. live  What can be observed?

3.  The first article examining play behaviors among pre-school children  Observed children’s play behavior and categorized play based on what she observed  Play stages include › Onlooker › Independent Solitary play › Parallel activity › Cooperative/Organized supplementary play Parten, B. Mildred. (1932) School Participation Among Pre-school Children

4.  Developed a code that was appropriate for our population of interest (children enrolled in HeadStart, Preschool, externalizing/internalizing behavior)  Incorporated Parten’s play research and work from others in the field (Fujuki, Brinton, Isaacson, & Summers, 2001; Parten, 1932; Qi & Kaiser, 2004; Rubin, 2001)

5.  Important points to consider when developing definitions: › Behaviors must be observable › Coders must be able to observe the same behaviors › Reliability

6.  Event-positive/negative measures of autonomous behaviors or aggression while playing  Duration-codes used to specify play behaviors of children

7.  Child Initiated (CI): interactive behavior (verbal or physical) by the target child toward a peer  Peer Initiated (PI): interactive behavior (verbal, non-verbal, physical) by a peer toward the target child that is complimentary and is followed by a peer behavior  Aggression (CA): any physical touch that is intended to be aversive, negative, or restrictive of the child’s activity

8.  Following directions (FD): child is on task, following teacher’s directions or engaging in appropriate behavior.  Parallel play (PP): the child is playing with toys similar to those used in the vicinity.  Associative play (AP): child plays with peer without role assignment. Distinguishing feature is the focus of the child.  Equal cooperative play (CPE): child is engaged in activity with others equally. Conversation should be present.

9.  Using hand-held computers  Live  Video clips

11.  Following directions (FD)  Parallel play (PP)  Equal Cooperative Play (CPE)  Associative Play (AP)  Solitary Play (SP)