The need to play is primeval in human beings, at least as strong as the urge to fight. While the larger gaming community has traditionally focused on the fairly lucrative potential of exploiting the urge to fight in the form of violent and destructive war games, the "Serious Games" segment has become aware of the power of applying this…

In order to assess the effects of displacement and exposure to violence on children's moral reasoning, Colombian children exposed to minimal violence (non-displaced or low risk; N = 99) and to extreme violence (displaced or high risk; N = 94), evenly divided by gender at 6, 9, and 12 years of age, were interviewed regarding their evaluation of…

A total of 48 preschoolers were asked to cite reasons for their friendships, provide judgments of transgressions involving friends and nonfriends, and indicate preferences for conflict resolution strategies for friends and nonfriends. Children made conceptual distinctions between friends and nonfriends in judgments and offered justifications…

Studied Japanese preschool children's conflict resolution and how they and their mothers evaluate teachers' conflict resolution methods. Found that preschoolers' conflicts stemmed from wide range of issues, including concerns about justice, rights, and fairness. Preschoolers used negotiation more than retribution or appeals to teachers, which…

Investigated the types of social issues that produce conflicts; the extent to which children respond positively to protests from others; and the ways in which conflicts are resolved. Results indicated that preschoolers' conflicts were not solely negative or aggressive and that their social interaction and social contexts were multidimensional.…

Examined preschoolers' peer conflicts in the naturalistic classroom setting during free-play time. Found conflicts about play and ideas significantly increased with age while those stemming from physical harm were low overall. Findings support the proposal that conflicts are natural contexts in which children develop socially, morally, and…

This study surveyed 160 preschool teachers in 4 countries regarding views of moral and social conflict resolution, autonomy and a group sense, and general aims of preschools. Findings revealed that all hold similar beliefs regarding intervention in children's conflicts and importance of autonomy in the classroom. Additionally, all viewed the…

Contrasts prevailing attitudes with new research that presents a new portrayal of young children's social disposition: children are social and sensitive to the needs of others and take other viewpoints into consideration, aggression is a rare form of conflict resolution, and children negotiate and compromise with peers in the absence of adults at…