The Beginnings of Collaboration in Peer Interaction

Abstract

Recent studies of the role of peer interaction in cognitive development show the existence of various interactive modes of co-construction from the ages of 4 or 5. The present article offers a theoretical and methodological approach to the study of socio-cognitive interaction in younger children, including infants. Observation of spontaneous object-centered activities among familiar peers aged 2 to 4 years, 18 to 24 months, and infants 13 to 17 months showed different modes of collaboration, such as observation/elaboration, co-construction, and guided activity, in each age group. The main socio-cognitive processes were highly similar across all groups and resemble those reported in experimental problem-solving studies involving older children. It is argued that the roots of basic peer interaction patterns reach back into infancy. The similarities across age levels suggest a functional continuity between the prelinguistic and linguistic periods of development.

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