Children’s Evaluative Appraisals of Competition in Tetrads versus Dyads

Abstract

Research with adults has demonstrated an association between display of overt competition and group size. Despite the importance of this association for understanding gender-differentiated developmental models of competition, virtually no research has examined this association in children. The current research was designed to examine whether children hold cognitive models that link competitive behavior with group size. Competitive and cooperative games were described to 71 boys and 87 girls from Grades 4 and 6, and the children were asked to indicate how much they thought they would enjoy playing each game in a dyad and in a tetrad. Consistent with the hypothesis, children appraised tetrads more positively than dyads for the competitive but not the cooperative games. The implications for differential experience in varying size groups are discussed as one factor that may influence displays of overtly competitive behavior.