Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
As part of a longitudinal study of sibling and friend interactions, we examined children’s onlooker behavior with siblings and with friends at ages 4 and 7. We analyzed the interactions of 65 white, middle-class American children with siblings and friends at ages 4 and 7. All sibling pairs were 15-30 months apart in age; half were same-gender, half mixed-gender. At both ages, dyads were videotaped at home in semi-structured situations during separate sibling and friend visits, playing with experimenter-provided toys selected to foster social interaction. The videotapes were transcribed and coded for social engagement at 10-second intervals. Our findings reveal that age, partner, and sibling status all had significant impacts on the frequency of onlooker behavior. As expected, at both ages siblings spent more time in onlooker behavior than friends did. At age 4, younger siblings exhibited more onlooker behavior than older siblings did, whereas at age 7, older siblings spent more time in onlooker behavior than younger siblings did. The amount of onlooker behavior with friends did not change from age 4 to age 7 and did not differ between the target child and the friend. In early childhood, younger siblings may be more interested in watching what their older siblings are doing, while older siblings, may be focused on their own play. By middle childhood, as the age gap between siblings becomes less significant, play may become more reciprocal, and older siblings may become more concerned with ensuring that their younger sibling is following their ideas for play.
Recommended Citation
Bertrand, Alexis; Morose, Alexa; Michalak-Brown, Emma; Pepe, Jocelyn; and DeHart, Dr. Ganie, "064 - Children’s Onlooker Behavior with Siblings and with Friends at Ages 4 and 7" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 21.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/21
064 - Children’s Onlooker Behavior with Siblings and with Friends at Ages 4 and 7
As part of a longitudinal study of sibling and friend interactions, we examined children’s onlooker behavior with siblings and with friends at ages 4 and 7. We analyzed the interactions of 65 white, middle-class American children with siblings and friends at ages 4 and 7. All sibling pairs were 15-30 months apart in age; half were same-gender, half mixed-gender. At both ages, dyads were videotaped at home in semi-structured situations during separate sibling and friend visits, playing with experimenter-provided toys selected to foster social interaction. The videotapes were transcribed and coded for social engagement at 10-second intervals. Our findings reveal that age, partner, and sibling status all had significant impacts on the frequency of onlooker behavior. As expected, at both ages siblings spent more time in onlooker behavior than friends did. At age 4, younger siblings exhibited more onlooker behavior than older siblings did, whereas at age 7, older siblings spent more time in onlooker behavior than younger siblings did. The amount of onlooker behavior with friends did not change from age 4 to age 7 and did not differ between the target child and the friend. In early childhood, younger siblings may be more interested in watching what their older siblings are doing, while older siblings, may be focused on their own play. By middle childhood, as the age gap between siblings becomes less significant, play may become more reciprocal, and older siblings may become more concerned with ensuring that their younger sibling is following their ideas for play.
Comments
Sponsored by Ganie DeHart