An Ethological Analysis of Social Agonism and Dominance Relations among Preschool Children

STRAYER, F. F., and STRAYER, JANET. An Ethological Analysis of Social Agonism and Dominance Relations among Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1976, 47, 980-989. Agonism and dyadic dominance are basic concepts in the ethological analysis of social conflict and group power relations. The present research extends the application of these concepts to the analysis of children's social behavior. A social agonism inventory, including specific initiation and response patterns, was developed from videotaped records of free play among 17 preschool children. Systematic comparison of dyadic agonistic interactions revealed relatively rigid and stable dominance relations. These relations conformed to a linear model of social dominance. Although there were sex differences in the frequency of initiated conflict, position in the dominance hierarchy was not directly related to gender. Possible developmental changes in both agonism and dominance were discussed. In addition, findings were related to comparative research .on social ecology of nonhuman primates.