The Development of Peer Verbal Interaction among Two-Year-Old Boys

Abstract

MUELLER, EDWARD; BLEIER, MARK; KRAKOW, JOANNE; HEGEDUS, KATHERINE; and COURNOYER, PAULETTE. The Development of Peer Verbal Interaction among Two-Year-Old Boys. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 284-287. The research sought to demonstrate the emergence of verbal interaction among 2-year-olds and to establish what changes in their behavior cause this development. The subjects were 3 2-year-old boys attending a play group. Verbal interaction rates increased significantly from 22 to 30 months. During this period, speakers learned to select message content more appropriate to the listener. Both participants learned to watch each other more often. These changes in turn generated the increased rates of social interaction. These and other results suggest that explanation of the growth of social interaction, even at very young ages, requires both social learning and structural principles.