Peer interaction of infants under two years of age with and without early group experience

The advantages and disadvantages of group experience (day care) for infants and toddlers have been investigated in developmental areas such as motor, cognitive, and language development; yet some other areas have received relatively little attention. Sometimes cited as an advantage of group experience is that it promotes significant and competent social interaction among young children, yet this area has not been studied extensively, insofar as infants and toddlers are concerned. The problem in this research was to examine one aspect of social development in an attempt to answer two questions concerning peer social interactions of children between 12 and 24 months of age. The questions were: (1) Do children who have had early group experience before one year of age move more promptly towards interaction with peers, engage in more interactions, and for longer periods of time than children who have had no early group experience? (2) Do children who have had early group experience before one year of age exhibit more positive social interactions in social situations