Abstract
According to Nakamura & Finck (1980), motivational trait of children could be made of two kinds of orientation, that is, social orientation and taskorientation. The socially oriented children are willing to participate in socially visible work, whereas taskoriented children are interested in mastery process. Nakayama (1983) developed a questionnaire to measure children's relative intensity of these orientations. In this study, behaviors of the socially oriented and task-oriented children were investigated under a cooperative problem-solving situation.
The questionnaire was administered to 84 children (42 boys and 42 girls) in the fourth grade, and these children were classified into four groups according to their relative intensity of the two orientations. These groups were named HH group (both orientations being high), HL group (social orientation being dominant), LH group (task-orientation being dominant), and LL group (both orientations being low), respectively.
Subjects, divided into pairs of the same sex, were told to build a miniature house with a set of blocks (121 pieces). Their behaviors were recorded on videotape, and analyzed later. The indices were (1) frequency of their behavior categorized into fifteen categories,(2) four composite scores using the behavior category,(3) rate of answers given to subject's or co-worker's question, and (4) number of pieces being set.
The result indicated that each group showed their respective characteristic behaviors.
HH group set more piec es of block, and interacted in a leading and assertive manner with their co-worker. They frequently directed their co-worker and even pointed out their mistakes.
In contrast, LH group set most pieces of all, still giving less information and answering less often to their co-worker. They were also found to take up positive attitude toward LL group but not toward HL group.
The result of HL group lacked clarity, but it was suggested that they would approach their co-worker in a friendly wanner. Nevertheless, they suffered cooperation from their co-worker ; for example, explanation responses from the co-worker were less frequent.
Finally, LL group wasn't found to be inferior or take any other characteristic behavior on any indices. It seemed rather modest in the cooperative working.
These results could be explained at least partly by the pattern of a ralative intensity of orientations. This supported the effectiveness of the two orientations and their relative intensity pattern in describing motivational traits of children and predict their behavior.
