Parents and Exploration: The Effect of Context on Individual Differences in Exploratory Behavior

Abstract

The effect of social context on individual differences in children''s exploratory behavior was examined in 3 studies. In the 1st study, 68 high-, moderate-, and low-exploratory children 3-6 yr of age identified by their responses to a battery of novel tasks explored novel toys with their parents. There were no differences in exploration as a function of parent present or assessment level of exploration. Mothers and fathers behaved similarly in the sessions. The 2nd study investigated the absence of assessment-level differences with 38 preschool children exploring similar sets of novel toys with their mothers and with an experimenter. Assessment-level differences were obtained only in the experimenter-child session. The 3rd study was conducted with 55 children ages 3-6 to determine if maternal presence or mother-child interaction was responsible for the absence of assessment-level effects in the 1st and 2nd studies. Assessment-level differences in exploratory behavior were found only in sessions where the mother was passive. The implications of the studies for understanding the nature of individual differences in exploration and social influences on exploration were discussed in terms of Vygotsky''s notion of the zone of proximal development.