Assessment and Correlates of Self-Reported Preference for Solitary Play in Young Children
A report on preference for solitary play among young children was presented. The goal of the study was to develop and validate an "interview" assessment of this preference, while also testing the hypothesis that negative peer experiences might lead to preference for solitude specifically among shy children. Solitary play, in other words social withdrawal, is typically when children remove themselves from interacting with their peers. Evidently, children who rather spend their time alone miss out on the important benefits that interacting with other children provide such as social, emotional, and cognitive development. Withdrawn children are put into three categories: shyness, unsociable and socially avoidant. Those put into the shyness category are those who do not necessarily prefer to engage in solitary play but are afraid to participate in interactions with their peers. Whereas those put into the unsociable category prefer to be in solitude, but neither fear nor avoid peer interaction. The social avoidant category is for the children who have a high preference for solitude but also actively avoid peer interaction. Some children refrain from social interactions because of social fear and anxiety, while others are more inclined towards solitary activities because they're not highly motivated to interact with their peers. The participants of this study were children who attended preschools and elementary schools located in south-eastern Ontario, Canada. Preference for solitary play was measured with "Preference for Solitary Play Interview" (PSPI). The mothers of the children provided ratings of children's social withdrawal and social engagement outside of school, while the teachers assessed children's socio-emotional functioning at school. Additionally, the children were interviewed individually. They were shown 11 cartoon images that had a range of play activities. After each picture, the child was asked to indicate whether they would want to play each activity alone or with another child. At the end, results showed higher scores reflecting a greater preference for solitude. The scores were calculated through the following: the number of times a child preferred to play alone divided by the total number of images presented. At last, it came to light that preference for solitary play was significantly associated with maternal-related shyness.
Coplan, R., Ooi, L., Rose-Krasnor, L., & Nocita, G. (2014, February 26). 'I Want to Play Alone': Assessment and Correlates of Self-Reported Preference for Solitary Play in Young Children. UConn Database. Retrieved December 31, 2020, from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.uconn.edu/doi/full/10.1002/icd.1854
I really like how you explained the concept of solitary play, where you explained it in a way that makes total sense. I also like how you included children who are more shy, and how they deal with solitary play.
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ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that majority of the children chose to play by themselves instead of with their peers. With the idea of them being shy and anxious, it makes me wonder how they learn their basic language and interactive skills. I’m sure they are ok with talking to their caretakers, but wouldn’t they need some interaction with people their own age? I usually expect young children to be energetic and open to playing or socializing with anyone, so the results of this study definitely surprised and interested me.
I really love how you gave the difference between the shyness category and the social avoidant category and was able to give easy to understand definitions of both. I never knew that most kids would prefer solitary play in relation to maternal-related shyness.
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