Abstract

The present study examined the associations between maternal involvement, sibling dramatic play, narrative, and creativity in two play sessions (mother present and mother not present). Twenty-four sibling dyads ranging in age from 5 to 8 years (older sibling M age = 8.2 yrs., younger sibling M = 5.2yrs.) and mothers from 2-parent, middle class backgrounds participated in the study. The dyads were observed for two 5-minute play sessions (mother present and mother not present) playing with a 50 piece farm set however they wished. The participants were observed for the frequency of descriptive language (total number of adjectives and total number of different adjectives), maternal language, (e.g., guidance), object use, and object transformations. Ratings on 5-point Likert scales were also conducted for degree of sibling collaboration, pretense, and maternal interaction. Finally, the themes of the play were coded (set-up, typical, creative). Sibling dyads engaged in more creative narrative themes, pretense, and object transformations in the mother not present session than in the mother present session. Also, older siblings used more adjectives overall and a greater number of different adjectives in the mother present session. A significant difference was also found in the frequency of the narrative theme regarding set-up, specifically siblings engaged in more set-up in the mother present session. The findings are discussed for implications for theory and practice.