From dyadic to social development: overcoming the dyadic default in child development research

Researchers conducting experimental work on sociocognitive development in childhood typically study one-on-one interactions. This approach aligns with the assumption that children’s social cognition, motivation, and learning first emerge in dyadic interactions before scaling up to larger social ensembles. In this article, we argue that this dyadic default reflects widespread theoretical and cultural biases as well as methodological convenience, leading to an overemphasis on dyadic interactions in research on child development. Because dyadic engagements can differ qualitatively and quantitatively from those in larger social ensembles, the dyadic default may systematically skew our understanding of key areas of social development and fail to account for global variation in childhood experiences. We suggest that researchers prioritize studying social ensembles of three and more individuals to capture more effectively the dynamics of childhood social development that includes, but is not limited to, dyads.