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Updated: Jul 22, 2026
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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Playmates and teachers: reciprocal and complementary interactions between siblings.
1Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, PQ, Canada. nina.howe@education.concordia.ca
Summary
Sibling interactions, like play and teaching, show modest links. Learner involvement in teaching predicts better sibling play, influencing development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
- Child Development
Background:
- Sibling relationships are crucial for child development.
- Reciprocal (e.g., play) and complementary (e.g., teaching) interactions offer distinct developmental contexts.
- Understanding the interplay between different interaction types is key.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine associations between reciprocal (play) and complementary (teaching) sibling interactions.
- To investigate how these interactions relate to sibling relationship quality.
- To explore the influence of sibling interaction styles on developmental outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Studied 70 sibling dyads with varying age differences.
- Observed sibling interactions during structured play and teaching sessions.
- Administered a sibling relationship quality questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Modest associations were found between play and teaching interactions.
- Higher learner involvement during teaching correlated with increased collaboration and reduced negative affect during play.
- The younger sibling's (2nd-born) teaching style predicted perceptions of relationship quality.
Conclusions:
- Reciprocal and complementary interactions serve as vital contexts for developing individual and dyadic behaviors.
- Sibling interactions significantly influence each other's developmental trajectories.
- The findings highlight the importance of diverse sibling interaction patterns for socio-emotional development.
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