Kids and kin: children's understanding of American kin terms

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study seeks to explore the defining characteristics of first and third grade children (mean ages 7;0 and 9;1 respectively) in conceptualizing seventeen American kin terms. The data indicate that even when children were able to identify a relationship, they did not all base their identification on the same attributes. Familiarity and experience affected the identification of some terms but did not appear to influence the ability to handle relational aspects. Among Grade 1 children, girls were more proficient than boys. This difference disappeared by Grade 3 where both boys and girls were equally competent and significantly more proficient than the younger children. Finally, in both grades, nuclear family terms were more familiar than extended family terms.