Situational Specificity of Behavior in Young Children

ROSE, SUSAN A.; BLANK, MARION; and SPALTER, IRENE. Situational Specificity of Behavior in Young Children. CmmD DEVELOPMENT, 1975, 46, 464-469. Preschool children were rated in a variety of classroom situations (e.g., alone, playing with other children) to determine if they displayed consistent behaviors within and across settings. Each assessment was based on a 15minute observation of the child in a particular setting. When the children were observed in the same type of situation, stable patterns of behavior were found after an interval of 4 months. Across situations, however, behavioral patterns showed variability even from day to day. These results suggest that enduring response patterns can be identified, but only in relation to particular situations.