The Structure of 5-year-olds' Verbal Quarrels with Peers and Siblings

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Abstract
Naturally occurring quarrels (N = 129) between 5-year-olds and their siblings and peers were selected from transcripts of spontaneous speech of 55 children recorded in their homes or at school. Each move in the quarrel was coded as a simple move (rejection, denial, contradiction) or an elaborated move (reason, explanation, justification). Each move in the quarrel was found to influence subsequent moves. Simple openings were generally followed by simple moves; elaborated openings, by elaborated moves. with increasing age, children used proportionately more elaborated moves. Five-year-olds used more simple moves in quarrels with their siblings than with peers; compromise and concession were more common in quarrels with peers. The topic of the dispute influenced its structure, with possession and name-calling disputes being less often resolved by discussion than disputes over facts.