DEVELOPMENT OF SEX-DIFFERENCES IN PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN - SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR DURING AN ACADEMIC YEAR

Sex differences in activities of preschoolers were assessed during fre e-play time from observation of the behavior of 31 children (23 girls, 8 boys; M = 5 yr.). These differences were noted for the time girls a nd boys spent in the activities considered, boys spending more time in rough-and-tumble play and in agonistic activities and girls in organi sed games such as I:ames with rules and role-play in addition to affil iative activities. Sex differences could be detected also in the distr ibution of time among various activities of the children during free-p lay in the three terms of the school year under consideration. From a developmental perspective, gender plays a fundamental role in the form ation of play-networks in the first peer encounters. These peer groups , sexually segregated, are structuring and organizing during the acade mic year, so ''distinctive cultures'' for boys and girls, besides cons olidating this segregation,facilitate the acquisition of advantageous social skill for later life.