Reactions of Preschool Children to an Adult Stranger: A Behavioral Systems Approach

GREENBERG, MARK T., and MARVIN, ROBERT S. Reactions of Preschool Children to an Adult Stranger: A Behavioral Systems Approach. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 481-490. 16 children at each of ages 2, 3, and 4 years were observed being approached by and interacting with a friendly stranger during their mothers' presence and absence in a standardized situation. Analyses of discrete behaviors yielded results consistent with those of earlier studies. Further analyses, based on a behavioral systems approach, focused on temporal patterns of reactions to the stranger. A number of qualitative patterns of response were identified which represent both age and individual differences, and which lead to conclusions different from those studies based on the analysis of discrete behaviors. The results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of a behavioral systems approach to the study of social development.