CULTURAL-DIFFERENCES IN KOREAN-AMERICAN AND ANGLO-AMERICAN PRESCHOOLERS SOCIAL-INTERACTION AND PLAY BEHAVIORS

48 Korean- and 48 Anglo-American children were observed in their presc hool settings to examine the role of culture in organizing children's activities and in shaping their pretend play behavior. Observers recor ded the presence or absence of preselected social behaviors and levels of play complexity. Parents completed a questionnaire about play in t he home, teachers rated children's social competence, and children wer e given the PPVT-R and a sociometric interview. Korean parents complet ed an acculturation questionnaire. The findings revealed cultural diff erences in children's social interaction, play complexity, adult-child interaction and play in the home and in the preschool, adult beliefs about play, scores on the PPVT-R, and children's social functioning wi th peers. The results suggest that children's social interaction and p retend play behavior are influenced by culture-specific socialization practices that serve adaptive functions.