Task Orientation versus Social Orientation in Young Children and Their Attention to Relevant Social Cues

Abstract

RUBLE, DIANE N., and NAKAMURA, CHARLES Y. Task Orientation versus Social Orientation in Young Children and Their Attention to Relevant Social Cues. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 471-480. This study examined how relevant cues given by an experimenter might differentially affect the performance of task oriented versus socially oriented children on 2 games. On the basis of past research, 2 independent variables were chosen: field dependence-independence and sex. It was expected that field-dependent children and girls would tend to be more socially oriented and therefore more responsive to social cues, while field-independent children and boys would tend to be more task oriented and therefore less responsive to social cues. The results supported the expectations regarding field dependenceindependence but failed to support those regarding sex differences.