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Abstract

Episodes of playfighting and playchasing among 5 year old children were video-recorded during free play reriods in the yard of an Infant School in Sheffield, U.K., along the last two months of the school term. In addition, measures of friendship and of reported playfighting and playchasing partners were obtained from individual interviews with the same children. It was found that both playfighting and playchasing (either observed or reported) were more frequent with children reported as friends, and less frequent with neutral partners and non-friends. Playfighting was particularly frequent with reciprocal friends. Some characteristics of playfighting episodes were analyzed in relation on affiliative status of the partners. Group episodes of playfighting often involved reciprocal friends. Reciprocal friends often acted as "allies" to each other in group bouts, whereas non-friends were often "opponents". Allies tended to stay together after playfighting bouts more often than opponents. Children with low preference score in the group were also more likely to act as opponents. The results are discussed in relation to the possible funtional implications of playfighting and playchasing, such as practice of fighting skills, establishment and maintainance of affiliative relationships.