ABSTRACT

Developmental researchers are interested in a variety of interactions that involve children. One way they pursue this interest is by studying children’s play groups. Suppose that a researcher arranges for three children to enter a playroom and notes the amount of time the children play before they leave the room. Perhaps the children would play for half an hour before leaving; perhaps they would play for two hours. Of course, the researcher would want to study more than one play group. Perhaps the mean duration of play across many groups would depend on the age of the children involved, their level of acquaintanceship, time of day, and features of the play environment.