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The behaviour of children during a first encounter
Author(s) -
JORMAKKA LEA
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1976.tb00206.x
Subject(s) - psychology , silence , developmental psychology , nonverbal communication , gaze , social psychology , psychoanalysis , philosophy , aesthetics
Abstract.— The behaviour of unacquainted children in a two‐child play situation was compared with the behaviour of well acquainted children. Observations were made through a one‐way‐screen, mainly in accord with categories adopted from ethological child studies. Tape‐recorded speech was coded into 27 content categories. Choice of activity and content of play seemed to be determined mostly by the children's sex, whereas nonverbal acts and also some aspects of speech showed considerable differences between strangers and acquaintances. Looking at the other's face, gaze avoidance, immobility, and automanipulation were more frequent among unacquainted children, and walking was less frequent among them. Longer initial silence, smaller total verbal output, and scarcity of suggestions, orders, and negative reactions were characteristic of unacquainted children at the initial stage of meeting. Personal talk (telling about oneself and asking quesrions about the other) was more common among unacquainted children, especially girls.