The behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in preschoolers

Bibliographic Data

ID21392030
AuthorsMalin Eriksson (0000-0002-2680-2453, Department of Psychology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden, corresponding author), Ben Kenward (0000-0002-8472-7172, Department of Psychology Oxford Brookes University Oxford UK), Leo Poom (0000-0002-7065-4662, Department of Psychology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden), Gunilla Stenberg (0000-0002-9231-3594, Department of Psychology Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden)
Year2021
Volume62
Issue3
Pages355-364
Publication date2021-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12708
PMID33543787
OpenAlexW3126732793
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited65

Traditional board games are a common social activity for many children, but little is known about the behavioral effects of this type of game. The current study aims to explore the behavioral effects of cooperative and competitive board games in four‐to‐six‐year‐old children ( N = 65). Repeatedly during 6 weeks, children in groups of four played either cooperative or competitive board games in a between‐subject design, and shortly after each game conducted a task in which children’s cooperative, prosocial, competitive, and antisocial behavior were observed. The type of board game did not have an effect on cooperative, prosocial or antisocial behavior. Cooperative and competitive board games elicited equal amounts of cooperative and prosocial behavior, which suggest that board games, regardless of type, could have positive effects on preschoolers’ social behavior. Our results suggest that children may compete more after playing competitive board games; but the measure of competitive behavior in particular was unreliable. Preschoolers enjoyed playing cooperative board games more than competitive board games, which may be one reason to prefer their use

Developmental psychology · Prosocial behavior · Task (project management) · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Child and Animal Learning Development · Child Development and Digital Technology · Psychology · Social Psychology