The study analyzes the spontaneous social interactions of children aged 2 and 4 years when interacting with peers
What do building a pyramid, going to the moon, pedaling a two-person canoe, or dancing the waltz have in common? All of these actions are the result of a common goal between many partners and lead to a sense of shared obligation, known as “mutual commitment”. This ability to cooperate is universal in humans and certain animal species, such as the great apes. However, humans seem to have a unique predisposition and strong desire for social interaction that may be one component of the emergence of language, according to the study authors. How do our social interactions differ from other species? And why? To answer this question, an international team analyzed the interactions of 31 children between the ages of 2 and 4 in four preschools in the United States (10 hours per child). There are only a few quantitative analyzes of the spontaneous social interactions of children aged 2 and 4 years when interacting with peers, even though this age is a critical age for the development of chi