The Effect of Gender Context on Children's Social Behavior in a Limited Resource Situation: An Observational Study

Abstract

Knowing when to compete and when to cooperate to maximize opportunities for equal access to activities and materials in groups is critical to children's social and cognitive development. The present study examined the individual (gender, social competence) and contextual factors (gender context) that may determine why some children are more successful than others. One hundred and fifty-six children (M age = 6.5 years) were divided into 39 groups of four and videotaped while engaged in a task that required them to cooperate in order to view cartoons. Children within all groups were unfamiliar to one another. Groups varied in gender composition (all girls, all boys, or mixed-sex) and social competence (high vs. low). Group composition by gender interaction effects were found. Girls were most successful at gaining viewing time in same-sex groups, and least successful in mixed-sex groups. Conversely, boys were least successful in same-sex groups and most successful in mixed-sex groups. Similar results were also found at the group level of analysis; however, the way in which the resources were distributed differed as a function of group type. Same-sex girl groups were inequitable but efficient whereas same-sex boy groups were more equitable than mixed groups but inefficient compared to same-sex girl groups. Social competence did not influence children's behavior. The findings from the present study highlight the effect of gender context on cooperation and competition and the relevance of adopting an unfamiliar peer paradigm when investigating children's social behavior.A crucial developmental skill for children to acquire is the ability to cooperate with others. The degree of success with which children acquire this skill has implications for interpersonal relationships across the life span in a wide variety of contexts. In

Achievement versus maintenance of control in six‐year‐old children’s interactions with peers: an observational study

“…Perhaps it is only when children are playing with familiar peers that a child's gender and the gender context become significant predictors of behaviour. The relative lack of interactions between gender and group composition was also surprising in light of the differences found by Green et al (2003) in the amount of viewing time obtained by girls and boys in same-sex and mixed-sex groups. It may be that although gender context influenced the distribution of viewing time among group members, it did not change the strategies that the children used to obtain viewing time.…”

“…However, whether the inequity is partly caused by the types of strategies girls and boys use in each other's presence during cooperative and competitive encounters is not known. Previous research has demonstrated effects of gender group composition on amount of resource use; girls gained in same-sex groups but lost in mixed-sex groups, while the opposite was found for boys (Green et al, 2003). Although evidence suggests that girls and boys adjust their unique interaction styles to the gender of their playmates (Archer, 1992;Maccoby, 1990), no movie-viewer studies have directly examined the effect of gender composition on strategy use.…”

Social Interaction During Computer-based Activities: Comparisons by Number of Sessions, Gender, School-level, Gender Composition of the Group, and Computer-child Ratio

“…Girls tend to withdraw from social interactions that include boys because they are viewed as too boisterous and dominating. It is not surprising then, that elementary school children may work better in same-gender groups (Green et al 2003).…”

New perspectives on social networks in the study of peer relations

“…Perhaps more gender differences will be found if mixed groups are analyzed-this may be a promising avenue for future research. In a study with six-year-old children, Green, Cillessen, Berthelsen, Irving, and Catherwood (2003) found that the gender composition of play groups has a strong impact on children' s cooperative and competitive behavior. For some variables, a mixed-gender context increased gender differences compared to a same-sex environment.…”