Naturalistic generalization of social behaviors in children : the examination of personal style and practice

There are few studies of children's observed roles in their generalized social behaviors across settings. This study investigates a model in which child behavior is proposed to generalize across settings through a child's development of response styles, amounting to aggregates of behaviors. Two predominant response styles are examined: a responsive style and a negative style. Thirty-three mother-child and teacher-child dyads were observed in social interaction for one hour and coded for degree of compliance, responsiveness, opposition, and negativity. Correlational findings suggested generalization across settings in the child response aggregates, but not in their keystone specific behaviors. However, since these keystones were parts of their aggregates, they appeared to be "carried" across settings by their generalized aggregates. These results were discussed within a systemic framework of the. children's social styles and practices.