| The study examined naturally occurring social interaction behaviors of a 2 year old. Naturalistic inquiry techniques, specifically ethnographic analyses employing participant observation, were used. The 2-year-old subject was videotaped during naturally occurring conditions with 6 other children, ranging in age from 5 months to 12 years. The videotapes were analyzed by the application of selected steps of Spradley's ethnographic research cycle. Characterizations of both verbal and nonverbal behavior were formulated. Analyses were performed in order to generate hypotheses regarding the effects of setting, partner age, and partner number on those behaviors.;Testing and refining the generated hypotheses with other 2-year-old subjects, broadening the range of the settings and the numbers and ages of partners, and examining the development of social interaction behaviors across the third year of life were among the recommendations made for future research.;The generated hypotheses suggested that the 2-year-old subject displayed social competence that was characterized by a wide range of verbal and nonverbal behaviors and by situationally specific adaptations and responses to the context of the immediate social interaction. The 2-year-old subject's behavior also revealed social initiative, responsiveness, and adaptation to the partner's abilities and social status. The following hypotheses were among those generated: (a) the 2-year-old subject's social interaction behaviors displayed no identifiable patterns attributable to characteristics of the setting or activity engaged in, (b) the subject's behavior reflected greater social competence in interaction with single partners than with multiple partners, (c) the particular social interaction behaviors displayed varied according to the age of the partner, (d) proximity with older partners resulted in maximal amounts of social interaction, and (e) the older siblings did not afford a maximum of social interaction or social interaction behavior. |
