How drivers signal, park, escort their children across a street to a preschool, and depart was videotaped unobtrusively for 39 days, to test for consistency of driver behaviour and children's crossing, behaviour. Data were analysed for 17 pairs of drivers and children, observed more than ten times under the same conditions. Frequency of identical actions was analysed on the basis of category systems, whereby a sequence of behaviour was broken down into several items. A variety of individual differences and inter-behavioural differences in consistency were detected, and in general drivers were more consistent than children. Drivers' signals and accompanying of children were somewhat inconsistent, while some of their choice behaviours were very stable. Inconsistent behaviour was discussed in terms of the lack of or insufficient specification of drivers' and children's schemas. Repeated naturalistic observations identified behavioural consistency, revealed the structure of relevant schemas in daily life and can also predict behaviour. (A)
Abstract