Early Competitive Game Playing in Same- and Mixed-Gender Peer Groups

Sixty-four kindergarten children participated in a bead-collecting game. Their competitive, noncompetitive, and other moves were measured. Gender and gender composition of the group affected competition in the context of playing this game with known peers. The boys were more competitive than the gir...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 2008-10, Vol.54 (4), p.499-514
Main Authors: Weinberger, Nanci, Stein, Kristen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Children
Children & youth
Competition
Context Effect
Dyadic relations
Economic competition
Females
Games
Gender Differences
Gender Issues
Grade 1
Group size
Hypothesis Testing
Interpersonal relations in children
Kindergarten
Kindergarten education
Males
New England
Peer Groups
Peers
Preschool children
Psychological aspects
R&D
Research & development
Retaliation
Scarcity
Sex differences (Psychology)
Social aspects
Social behavior
Social interaction
Studies
Young Children
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Summary:Sixty-four kindergarten children participated in a bead-collecting game. Their competitive, noncompetitive, and other moves were measured. Gender and gender composition of the group affected competition in the context of playing this game with known peers. The boys were more competitive than the girls. Girls in the same-gender groups, but not mixed-gender groups, had low levels of competitive moves overall. Similar rates of strategic moves and game understanding suggest that the noted gender differences were not due to lack of game skill. However, the experience of playing the game can differ for boys and girls, and this difference may be emphasized when girls are playing exclusively with other girls.
ISSN:0272-930X
1535-0266
1535-0266
DOI:10.1353/mpq.0.0006