Boys' and Girls' Play Behavior in Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Pairs

A sample of 108 boys and girls between 4.0 and 6.0 years of age participated in an experiment designed to examine the effects of sex of participant, sex of peer, and a single versus a double play set on the children's play behavior. Same-sex and opposite-sex pairs of boys and girls were observed while they played for 10 min with sex-typed and neutral Playmobil figures and objects. Play sessions were videotaped and later analyzed according to frequencies of uses of figures and objects. Boys' play was more strongly sex typed than girls' play. Play with same-sex figures was more likely in the presence of an opposite-sex peer. A double play set increased the similarity of boys' and girls' play. Compared with boys and girls who played alone, the children who played in pairs showed tendencies toward masculine-role behavioral characteristics. Overall, the girls seemed to be less influenced by the presence of another child. The findings indicate that the sex typing of preschool children's play behavior varies significantly with the specific conditions of the play situation.