Social Involvement with Peers in 2-1/2-Year-Old Toddlers

Two environmental conditions hypothesized to influence toddler social involvement were investigated in this study, including the presence or absence of a barrier separating the children and the presence or absence of toys. Thirty-two same-sex toddler dyads were observed during a playroom session, with their mothers present, in one of four conditions. In the first, one child was given toys and a barrier separated the children; in the second, there was a barrier, but no toys; in the third, there were toys, but no barrier; in the fourth, both barrier and toys were absent. Mothers were asked not to intervene until the end of the session, when one of the mothers was asked to encourage her child to play or share with the other child. The presence of the barrier inhibited peer social involvement, even though it did not preclude auditory, visual, or physical contact between the children. Toy availability interacted with barrier presence to some extent. When one of the children possessed toys, less social involvement occurred in the presence of the barrier than in its absence. However, the children with toys in the barrier condition were more willing to share when requested to do so by their mothers than were those with toys in the absence of the barrier. The results suggest that social behavior is influenced by physical features of the environment as early as the postinfancy period. The barrier may have served to facilitate the regulation of territorial boundaries in the absence of adult intervention.