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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
14:05

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

Bridging the gap: parent-child play interaction and peer interactive competence

K MacDonald, R D Parke

    Child Development
    |August 1, 1984
    PubMed

    Insights

    Parental play styles significantly impact preschool social competence. Paternal physical engagement and maternal verbal interaction benefit peer relations, particularly for boys, while directiveness shows varied effects.

    Area of Science:

    • Developmental Psychology
    • Family Studies
    • Child Social Development

    Background:

    • Understanding the interplay between family dynamics and early childhood social skills is crucial.
    • Parent-child interactions serve as a foundation for developing peer competence.
    • Early social competence influences later academic and personal success.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the relationship between parent-child play behaviors and preschool children's social competence with peers.
    • To examine gender-specific associations between maternal/paternal behaviors and child peer relations.
    • To explore how family social systems connect with peer social systems.

    Main Methods:

    • A multimeasure, multicontext study involving 27 children (13 boys, 14 girls) aged 3-4 years and their parents.
    • Home-based videotaped play sessions between each child and parent (20 minutes each).
    • Three independent measures of children's peer social competence: teacher rankings of popularity, teacher Q-sort ratings, and direct peer interaction assessments.

    Main Results:

    • Paternal physical play and engagement, along with maternal verbal behavior, were positively correlated with children's peer relations, especially in boys.
    • Paternal directiveness negatively impacted popularity for both genders, whereas maternal directiveness positively influenced girls' popularity.
    • Differential patterns of maternal and paternal behaviors were associated with distinct social competence outcomes for boys and girls.

    Conclusions:

    • Family play interactions, including physical and verbal engagement, are linked to children's social success with peers.
    • Parental directiveness plays a complex role, with gender-specific effects on children's popularity.
    • The study highlights the significant influence of family social dynamics on the development of children's peer relationships and social competence.

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