SOLITARY AND COLLABORATIVE PRETENSE PLAY IN EARLY-CHILDHOOD - SOURCESOF INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF REPRESENTATIONAL COMPETENCE

This study evaluates sources of individual variation in child pretense play as an expression of emerging mental representation. Family socio demographic characteristics, maternal personological characteristics, and maternal affective and cognitive play behaviors, as well as childr en's gender, language competence, and play, were examined simultaneous ly. Naturalistic child solitary play and child collaborative play with mother were videorecorded in 141 20-month-olds. Child solitary play, child-initiated and mother-initiated collaborative play with mother, a nd maternal demonstrations and solicitations of play were then coded i nto nonsymbolic and symbolic acts. Zero-order relations obtained betwe en child play and, respectively, child gender and language, family SES , and maternal verbal intelligence, personality, physical affection, a nd play demonstrations and solicitations. Structural equation modeling supported the following unique predictive relations: Child language a nd mothers' symbolic play positively influenced child collaborative pl ay, and child gender and mothers' verbal intelligence predicted child solitary play. Child gender and mothers' verbal intelligence and physi cal affection influenced mothers' play and so influenced child collabo rative play indirectly. The cognitive advantages of child play and mat ernal influences on child play are placed in an adaptive parenting fra mework.