| Sumario: | The writer investigates gender difference in help-eliciting communication and the relationship of such utterances with ability. Using videotapes of a sample of 71 preschoolers as they solved a difficult puzzle, he studies spontaneous talk for orientation and for the frequency of utterances coded as help eliciting. He reports that significant main effects for gender were evident, with more frequent help-eliciting utterances (HEUs) made by the girls than by the boys, especially HEUs about themselves. He argues that although the girls' HEUs were not predictive of ability on the puzzle, the boys' were. Furthermore, he asserts that no gender differences in puzzle-solving ability were found. In conclusion, he considered the results in terms of problem solving and social/linguistic development.
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