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Toy play, play tempo, and reaction to frustration in infants
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|August 1, 1982
Insights
Infants
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Behavior
Background:
- Understanding infant behavior is crucial for developmental psychology.
- Toy play and reactions to frustration are key indicators of infant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between toy play characteristics and frustration responses in infants.
- To explore how persistence in play relates to coping mechanisms during frustrating situations.
Main Methods:
- Observed 12 infants (22-26 months) during toy play, measuring duration and tempo.
- Assessed frustration reactions (crying, escape attempts, vocalizations) when toys were inaccessible.
Main Results:
- Found significant correlations between toy play patterns and frustration responses.
- Response persistence during play was linked to escape attempts in frustrating situations.
Conclusions:
- Infant play behavior, specifically persistence, may predict their approach to frustrating circumstances.
- These findings offer insights into early childhood development and emotional regulation.
Abstract:
Measures of toy play including duration and tempo of play were obtained for a combined sample of 7 male and 5 female infants 22 to 26 mo. of age. Additional measures of reaction to frustration were obtained during a second session where toys were placed out of reach of the subjects. Measures of frustration included crying, squirm/escape attempts, and non-crying vocalizations. Several correlations between toy play and reaction to frustration were found and were indicative of a general relationship between response persistence during play and attempts to escape from the frustrating situation.