1. PEERS CHAPTER 8

2. SOME DEFINITIONS…. Peer – Another child of roughly the same age Short interactions, minimal commitment Friend – A peer with whom the child has a special relationship Regular, sustained interactions, reciprocal liking and respect Dyads – Interactions between pairs of children Groups - Cliques, teams, and crowds with norms, rules, and hierarchies

3. PLAY AND PRETEND PLAY (SUTTON-SMITH & KELLY- BYRNE, 1984) Play: activities that are pursued for their own sake. Only motivation is the enjoyment received from play Becomes more complex as children age Ex: banging pans together; playing hopscotch Pretend Play: make-believe activities in which children create new symbolic relationships Object Substitution: using a broom to represent a horse Sociodramatic Play: playing doctor, teacher Emerges around 18 months

4. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY OR GAME AT Age 2? Age 3? Age 5?

5. TYPES OF COGNITIVE PLAY (SMILANSKY, 1968) TypeDescription Functional Play Simple repetitive muscle movements with or without objects Constructive Play Manipulation of objects to construct or create something Dramatic Play Substitution of an imaginary situation to satisfy the child’s personal wishes and needs Games with rules Acceptance of prearranged rules and the adjustment to these rules

6. TYPES OF SOCIAL PLAY (PARTEN, 1932, 1933) Observational study of 34 nursery school children, aged 2 to 4.5 Observed daily for 1 minute at a morning free play hour to reach total of 60 minute observations Group Size: All children typically played in groups of 2, but the size of the group increased with age Most popular activities: sandbox, playing family/house/dolls, trains, kiddie-car As children aged, preference for activities became more complex Youngest: preferred sandbox 3-year olds: preferred family/house/dolls Older: clay, paper, paints

7. TYPES OF SOCIAL PLAY (PARTEN, 1932, 1933) TypeDescription Unoccupied Play Play limited to child’s own body. Child is occupying self with anything of interest in the environment. Solitary PlayChild plays alone and his focused on his own play. Onlooker Play Children watch or talk to other children engaged in play activity. Asks questions or gives suggestions, but not involved in play activity. Parallel Play Children play in similar activities, often side-by-side. Do not interact with each other. Play BESIDE rather than WITH other children. Associative Play Children play with other children. Interact by sharing toys and commenting on each other’s activities. Not working together on the activity. Cooperative Play Children play with each other and are not completely interacting. Cooperating, reciprocating, sharing common goals.

8. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN TYPES OF PLAY GIRLS Quiet games, small groups, near school buildings, close to adult supervision Prefer play involving artistic endeavors, books, or dolls Like unstructured activities Are more intimate and exchange more information than boys Dyadic Play BOYS Active-Forceful Play Play high-energy, run-and-chase games in large groups that take up nearly 10 times as much as space as girls’ play More competitive in their play than girls are Prefer organized games controlled by rules Group Play

9. CAUSES OF TYPES OF PLAY (PARTEN, 1932, 1933) Age Negatively correlated with Unoccupied, Solitary, Parallel Positively Correlated with Associative, Cooperative IQ Negatively correlated with unoccupied, solitary, onlooker Positively correlated with Parallel, Associative, Parallel Gender of Peer Playing with same-sex friends increases gender-stereotypes play activities Mixed-sex play involves no non-stereotyped activities Greater pretend play if High SES and Educational Level of Parents Discuss inner states with siblings during play

10. OUTCOMES OF PLAY More complex cognitive and social play Role taking - Empathy, Role-taking – Spatial egocentrism, popularity, maturity, high self-esteem, better ToM The Bad - Nonsocial Play in preschool linked to following outcomes in late childhood/adolescence Peer rejection, social anxiety, loneliness, depression, low self-esteem, low academic performance The Good - NonSocial Play May provide indicator of low social responsiveness (e.g., autism) Develops emotions and language, independent/maturity, attention spans, task persistence, problem solving by self and with peers, high self-esteem

11. VIDEO ACTIVITY! Video #1 Video #2 Video #3 Video #4 Video #5 Video #6 Unoccupied Solitary Onlooker Parallel Associative Cooperative