Abstract
Developmental differences in competitive behavior of 192 kibbutz and city boys and girls in Israel were investigated. Pairs of children played the marble-pull game in which the only adaptive solution to the task was turn-taking or cooperative behavior. Children of four age levels (4, 5, 7 to 8, and 10 to 11 years) participated. Forty-eight pairs of each subculture played the game. In both groups the younger children were less competitive than older children (p < .001) and thus earned more prizes. Kibbutz children were less competitive than city children (p < .001), this difference being most pronounced at age 5.