Abstract
12 male and 8 female preschoolers were individually administered a measure of role-taking skill. Moreover, each child was observed during free play on 30 consecutive school days. The behaviors of the children were coded according to the social participation categories of Parten (1932). Significant negative relationships were found between the role-taking task and the incidence of parallel and onlooker-unoccupied activity. Role-taking skill was positively related to associative play. The results provide correlational support for Piaget's belief that peer interaction leads to a decline of egocentrism in childhood.