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Infants in play groups: time related changes in behavior toward mothers, peers, and toys
Insights
Mothers provide a secure base, refueling stop, and alternative engagement for 13-month-old infants during play sessions. Infant attention shifts over time, with decreased activity and increased mother contact, showing sex differences in social play development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Social Behavior
Background:
- Early childhood development involves complex social interactions.
- Maternal roles evolve during infant exploratory play.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the changing functions of mothers during infant peer play.
- To analyze infant attention allocation and social interaction patterns over time.
- To examine sex differences in infant social behavior during play.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 21 13-month-old infants in 20-minute, 15-day playgroups.
- Included same-sex peers, mothers, and toys.
- Systematic recording of infant attention to mother, peers, and toys.
Main Results:
- Infant activity and toy exploration decreased linearly over time.
- Intentional contact with mothers significantly increased throughout the study.
- Boys initially showed more peer/toy interaction, declining later; girls increased peer/toy play after initial proximity to mothers.
Conclusions:
- Maternal functions shift from secure base to refueling and alternative engagement.
- Infant social behavior and attention dynamics change within and across play sessions.
- Significant sex differences emerge in social interaction patterns during early toddlerhood.
Abstract:
Twenty-one 13-month-old infants, nine male and 12 female, were assigned to one of seven playgroups convening for 15 consecutive weekdays . Present at each 20-minute play session were three same-sexed peers with their mothers and an assortment of toys. There were systematic fluctuations in infants' attention to mother, peers, and toys. There findings suggest that a mother may serve different functions at different points in time: (a) as a secure base in initial sessions, (b) as a refueling stop when the infant grew tired, and (c) as an attractive alternative when the infant became bored with toys and peers. Within-day analyses revealed that activity level and toy exploration linearly decreased over time, while intentional contact with mother significantly increased. Social interaction with peers correlated negatively with interaction with mother over the course of the study. Sex differences over time were found to be significant: boys on day one were more interactive with both peers and toys but this level declined thereafter, while girls on day one spent more time in close proximity to mother and later, on subsequent days, increased their peer and toy play.