THE EFFECTS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING INTERRUPTIONS ON NURSERY SCHOOL CHILDREN'S PLAY IN A PEER GROUP SETTING.
Item
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Title
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THE EFFECTS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING INTERRUPTIONS ON NURSERY SCHOOL CHILDREN'S PLAY IN A PEER GROUP SETTING.
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Identifier
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AAI8023689
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identifier
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8023689
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Creator
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BERENBERG, ANNE LINDA HATCHER.
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Contributor
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Herbert Nechin
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Date
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1980
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical
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Abstract
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Several studies suggest that having the opportunity and capacity to play imaginatively is beneficial to children and that interruptions of play may impede the development of this skill. This study categorizes naturally occurring interruptions and distractions experienced by preschool children during peer group play and demonstrates that different types of interruptions have differing effects on children's play level and affect. Fantasy predisposition and social experience as indicated by birth order are evaluated for their effect on children's responses to interruptions.;Twenty-four children from two Four Year Old classes at a suburban nursery school were each observed for 10 minutes during free play period on four different days over the course of two months. The children were divided evenly between high and low predisposition for fantasy, according to Singer's Imaginative Play Predisposition Interview (IPPI). Eleven were first born or only children and 13 were later born. Narrative accounts of each child's actions, verbalizations and facial expressions and those of people interacting with him provided the raw data. Protocols were rated by the author and an independent rater for presence and type of interruption, level of play and affect prior and subsequent to each interruption, and predominant level of play for the observation period. Categories of interruption include adult interruption of individual child and of group, peer dispute--interruptions lacking respect for the child's activity--and peer attempt to change direction of play and distraction, which do not lack respect. Instructions and rating scales were devised or adapted by the author. Interrater reliability was adequate for all scales.;Ratings for play and affect level were converted into change scores by subtracting the play or affect level before each interruption from the after interruption level. Mean change scores for each child for each type of interruption were analyzed using t-procedures.;As hypothesized, differentiation between kinds of interruptions is both possible and useful. Interruptions which do not show respect for the child's current activity are more disruptive to both play level and affect than interruptions which are neutral or which show respect. Adult interruptions, on the average, have a more negative impact on play level than interruptions by another child. Adult interruptions appear to be more powerful than child interruptions, preceding more dramatic shifts in play level in both positive and negative directions. Children have a less negative affective response to distractions than to interruptions.;Interruptions were frequent experiences for most children (the mean frequency of interruptions is one every two minutes and one distraction every 4.5 minutes). Children are interrupted much more often by other children than by adults. The most common interruption is one child attempting to change the direction of another child's play. Most interruptions have no noticeable effect on play or affect level, but the overall mean change scores are very slightly negative (-.146 for play level and -.057 for affect level).;Later born children, with their greater social experience, are less disrupted in their play by peer disputes, and there is a trend for them to better maintain their play level following interruptions by peers seeking to change direction of play than first born children. This difference is not seen following adult interruptions. Fantasy predisposition as measured by the IPPI is not a significant determinant of number of interruptions experienced, predominant level of play, or response to any type of interruption. It is suggested that social imaginative play be differentiated from solitary imaginative play in that it requires communication, empathy, and a willingness and ability to interact with others. Interruptions which do not lack respect for the child are an expected and integral part of social play.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
