An Observational Study of Social Comparison in Preschoolers

MOSATCHE, HARRIET S., and BRAGONIER, PENELOPE. An Observational Study of Social Comparison in Preschoolers. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1981, 52, 376-378. Preschoolers were observed for 3 5-min periods in a naturalistic setting in order to study the forms and functions of their social comparison verbalizations. Each social comparison statement was coded into content (ability, possession, status, attitude, and activity) and function (differentiation/similarity, cognitive clarity, evaluative, and competitive) categories. The results indicated that preschoolers actively and spontaneously engage in social comparison. A cognitive developmental approach was employed to explain the findings.