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Abstract

Aiming to describe and determine the occurrence of caretaking behavior, 37 children aged 5 months to 5 years and 8 months were observed in natural situations, in groups of two, three, and four children. Episodes of caretaking were described and categorized considering their content and structure, including signs of affective orientation. Three categories (Fondling, Caretaking and Teching) were described and their frequencies counted, computing the means by sessions. The results show the occurrence of caretaking behavior in children from two years of age on, characterized as complex actions of monitoring and providing for the attributed needs of another person. In the child, the caretaking behavior resembles the adult parental behavior, in form and flexibility, always adjusting itself to the behavior state of the target. Variables like age, sex, differences in age and acquaintance between the children appear to affect this behavior with some significant differences favoring the older children, the girls and dyads with larger differences in age. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for conceptions about children's abilities and also to
provide a frame of reference for current educational practices.