Laughing and Crying of Preschool Children

The subjects chosen for study were twen ty-nine children who attended the nursery schools of the Child Development Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University. They included seventeen children from the younger nursery school group ranging in age from eighteen to thirty-four months and twelve children from the older group ranging in age from thirty-four to forty-eight months. A total of twenty-four five minute records of observation was made on each of twenty-nine children during the free play period when their activity was relatively free from adult interference. In the nursery school this period extended from nine to eleven o'clock in the morning. In addition to these rec ords, twenty-four five minute observations were made on each of seventeen children in the younger group during routines such as the eating, toilet, and nap situations when the activity of the children was directed by adults. A total of 1,104 five minute rec ords comprised the data of the study. In order to obtain a representative sam ple of each child's behavior, the records were compiled under specified conditions. For example, the observation periods were rotat ed, thus avoiding the possibility of piling up records for any one child at one hour of the day. All records of free play were made out-of-doors and all records of routine ac tivities, indoors. Half of the outdoor rec ords were made during the first hour of the morning and half during the second hour. Not more than two records were made for a par ticular child in one day. No record of free play was made unless at least four children were present.