ABSTRACT
The coding system described here was designed to assess patterns of mutuality in observed parent-child and child-peer play interaction. For the purpose of this system, mutuality is defined as a bidirectional process in which partners achieve balance in terms of who determines the direction and course of ongoing play. The coding scheme focuses on event-based assessments of partners’ attempts to influence play and responses to influence attempts. From the event-level codes constructs of dyadic mutuality are created based on the balance of partners’ influence attempts and compliance to influence attempts. Thus, one strength of the coding scheme is its versatility in providing information on individual partners’ interactional style as well as information about the relationship between partners. Although created specifically for use with observations of preschoolers’ play interaction with parents and peers, the codes are applicable for use with children of any age and could be adapted for use in coding behavior in a variety of interactional settings. The coding system is most suitable for observations of dyadic interaction, because the addition of a third or fourth partner makes it extremely difficult to identify to whom influence attempts are directed and the responses given to these attempts.
