Interaction between Six-Month-Old Peers

12 pairs of previously unacquainted 6-month-old infants were observed in both the presence and absence of toys. Interactive episodes that began when an infant touched the peer or a toy held by the peer were examined. The infants' immediate reactions to these events, which provoke conflict between toddlers, were neutral or positive. Furthermore, the patterns of occurrence of these behaviors indicated social influence over time: the outcome of 1 episode influenced the initiation of the next, and, when toys were present, 1 infant's tendencies to touch the peer and the peer's toys could be predicted from his or her partner's corresponding tendencies. The conclusion from previous research that in the absence of toys infants explore other infants needs further consideration: the frequency of peer contact when toys were absent was not reliably predicted by an infant's tendency to play with toys when they were present. It appears that the increase in peer contact that occurs in the absence of toys is mediated by corresponding increases in individual infants' gestural activity, which increases the likelihood of contact; however, gestural activity does not predict the initiation of contact when toys are present and does not predict an infant's tendency to reciprocate the peer's overture in either trial.