The Effect of Playmate Familiarity on the Social Interactions of Young Children

Abstract

DOYLE, ANNA-BETH; CONNOLLY, JENNIFER; and RIVEST, LouIS-PAUL. The Effect of Playmate Familiarity on the Social Interactions of Young Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1980, 51, 217-223. The effects of peer familiarity on social interactions were studied by observing pairs of preschool children who were either familiar or unfamiliar with each other. Sociability of play, cognitive level of play, affective tone, and specific social behaviors were assessed during 50-min free-play sessions. All aspects of play except affective tone differed with familiarity of the playmate. With a familiar peer, social play was more frequent, and when children were interacting socially the cognitive level of play was also higher. Positive and successful peerdirected social behaviors were also affected by familiarity. The results indicate that peer familiarity is a highly salient variable and suggest that interaction with familiar or unfamiliar peers may provide differential opportunities for social and cognitive learning.