Abstract
This study examined the development of toddlers' peer interactions, focusing on exchanges of self-assertive strategies. Ten children in a toddler class at a daycare center (1- and 2-year-olds) were observed during free play for a year. Data were analyzed for the 5 children in the class who turned 2 years old during the early part of the school year. In Phase 1 of the observations (May-August), toddlers tended to exchange non-verbal strategies and negative emotions. In Phase 2 (September-December), while they still used non-verbal strategies and expressed negative emotions, children also started to use verbal strategies to negotiate their intentions. These verbal strategies seemed to contribute to their partners' regulation of behaviors and negative emotions. In Phase 3 (January-March), compared with the earlier phases, they more often exchanged verbal strategies without a negative emotional tone. In this latter phase, children sometimes negotiated their needs and intentions verbally to reach a mutual understanding. It is possible that toddlers contributed to peers' self-assertive strategies and to a reorganization of their self-assertive interactions.
