A descriptive study of persuasive preschool children: How they get others to do what they want

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify within a small play group those children who most effectively directed the behavior of their peers. These influential subjects were then compared to dominant and less persuasive playmates on a number of behavioral dimensions. Specifically, 5 preschool-age children were observed interacting within a laboratory play setting. Every instance of a subject's attempt to influence the behavior of another and the target child's response to that initiative were transcribed. Specific initiating and responding behaviors were delineated from this analysis. Persuasion and dominance hierarchies were constructed from resulting data, allowing identification of persuasive, dominant, and low status subjects. Persuasive children were compared to other subjects; they could be distinguished from dominant and other low persuasive peers in their performance of (a) a larger number and broader repertoire of persuasive attempts, (b) a moderate number of extremely friendly or extremely aggressive strategies, and (c) a lower rate of compliance to the directives of others. Implications of findings for social skills intervention in the classroom are examined.