Young Children's Perceptions of Time Out

Abstract

Preschoolers' perceptions of, and feelings about, time out were assessed. Observations were conducted in 11 child care centers by pairs of trained child study students. Forty-two young children were interviewed subsequent to a time out experience. More children were observed to be isolated for reasons of non-compliance than for aggression. The largely negative self-attributions expressed by most—feeling alone, disliked by one's teacher, and ignored by one's peers—as well as the feelings of sadness and fear expressed by many, suggest that time out is perceived as a punishment by the very young child. Furthermore, the inability of many young children to say why they were in time out (or to recall an adult telling them why) reduces the likelihood that the specific time out event, as a punishment, will inhibit future occurrence of the same aggressive or non-compliant behavior.