SOCIAL-DOMINANCE AND PLAY PATTERNS AMONG PRESCHOOLERS - GENDER COMPARISONS

Gender differences in dominance and play among preschoolers were exami ned. Forty-eight children in girl-girl or girl-boy dyads engaged in ma sculine and feminine stereotyped activities Girl-girl dyads displayed more cooperative play than girl-boy dyads. Adventure themes predominat ed in boys during both activities but in girls only during the masculi ne activity. Boys had higher functional play compared to girls while e ngaged in the feminine activity and lower constructive play overall. G irls engaged in more dramatic play during the feminine activity wherea s boys engaged in more dramatic play during the masculine activity The re was a trend for boys to refuse to follow the leads of girls during the masculine activity. Implications and interventions in play are dis cussed.