INTERACTION PARTNERS PREFERRED BY TODDLER S - OBSERVATIONS IN THE INFANT DAY-CARE-CENTER

In an infant day care centre a time budget was made on the behaviour o f toddlers. Th toddlers spent most of their time without social contac t. Their playful and further contact with other children of the same a ge increased with increasing age and time spent in the infant day care centre in extent, length and number of toddlers involved, but was, ho wever, even towards the end of the third year of life, still slight. F emale adults taking care of the children were preferential social part ners. Older children demonstrated more initiative here. Social partner s of their own age were not accepted by the infants and toddlers as su bstitutes for the absence of a caregiver.