Cultural Differences in Korean- and Anglo-American Preschoolers' Social Interaction and Play Behaviors

• Published in: Child development 1995-08, Vol.66 (4), p.1088-1099
• Main Authors: Jo Ann M. Farver, Kim, Yonnie Kwak, Lee, Yoolim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acculturation; Adults; Anglo Americans; Anglo-American people; Asian Americans; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child Behavior; Child development; Child, Preschool; Children; Cognition; Cognitive functioning; Comparative Analysis; Comparison; Cross Cultural Studies; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cultural Differences; Cultural Influences; Culture; Developmental psychology; Diversity (Groups); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Korea; Korean Americans; Korean culture; Parent Child Relations; Parent Child Relationship; Parents; Peer Relations; Play and Playthings; Play Learning; Preschool Children; Preschool education; Pretend Play; Psychology, Child; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social Behavior; Social behaviour; Social Interaction; Socialization; Sociocultural Factors; South Korean people; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States - ethnology; White people
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.2307/1131800

48 Korean- and 48 Anglo-American children were observed in their preschool settings to examine the role of culture in organizing children's activities and in shaping their pretend play behavior. Observers recorded the presence or absence of preselected social behaviors and levels of play complexity. Parents completed a questionnaire about play in the home, teachers rated children's social competence, and children were given the PPVT-R and a sociometric interview. Korean parents completed an acculturation questionnaire. The findings revealed cultural differences in children's social interaction, play complexity, adult-child interaction and play in the home and in the preschool, adult beliefs about play, scores on the PPVT-R, and children's social functioning with peers. The results suggest that children's social interaction and pretend play behavior are influenced by culture-specific socialization practices that serve adaptive functions.