Social Behavior at Thirty-Three Months in Same-Sex and Mixed-Sex Dyads

Abstract

JACKLIN, CAROL NAGY, and MACCOBY, ELEANOR E. Social Behavior at Thirty-three Months in Same-Sex and Mixed-Sex Dyads. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1978, 49, 557-569. Previously unacquainted pairs of 33-month-old children were brought together in same-sex or mixed-sex pairs in a laboratory playroom, and the amount and kind of social behavior directed by each child toward the playmate was recorded. Children directed more social behavior-both positive and negative-to same-sex playmates than to opposite-sex ones. Girls paired with boys were more likely to stand passively watching their partners, or to withdraw toward their mothers, than boys in any pairing or girls playing with girls. Sequential analysis disclosed that boys were unlikely to respond to the vocal prohibitions of girls, while partners did respond to such prohibitions in other pairings. Statistical issues in measuring dyadic interaction are discussed, as are the implications of the findings for children's self-segregation by sex in play groups.