Peer Exclusion in Preschool Children’s Play: Naturalistic Observations in a Playground Setting

To better understand peer exclusion in young children, 42 four- to six-year-olds were observed in an outdoor setting, and their verbalizations were recorded using wireless microphones. The frequency of peer exclusion and social aggression, the various techniques children used to exclude their peers (unmitigated, mitigated, ignoring, and planning exclusion) and the relation of gender and social status (acceptance, rejection, and dominance scores) to children’s use of exclusion were examined. Peer exclusion occurred frequently, whereas nonexclusionary forms of social aggression were rare. More dominant boys, less rejected boys, and more rejected girls excluded peers more frequently than did other children. Children who were more socially accepted tended to more frequently ignore their peers to exclude them. All girls and boys who were more socially accepted used higher rates of mitigated, subtle forms of exclusion. In addition, boys who were more dominant used higher rates of unmitigated, direct peer exclusion.