Three membership roles adopted by researchers in studying young children are considered: a detached observer, a semiparticipatory and a complete involvement role. The complete involvement role, that of least adult, is discussed as a research role emerging from Mead's philosophy of action. Dilemmas of being “least adult,” including role identification, following the children, understanding children's language, screening out noise, role testing, rapport, and acquiring access rituals are explored.

Focusing on the interaction of children with other children in day care centers, this paper examines the various ways in which children take the role of the other toward oneself. Using a sample of sixty‐two children aged two to four, data was provided from a field work study involving intensive participant observation. Within a Meadian perspective, a model of negotiating meaning emerged with four characteristic stances of children's involvement in the process of taking children into account. Each stance is outlined using field work examples. The overall result is the provision of a continuum of interaction which documents the basic ways in which individuals move from the realm of private understandings to public or shared objects of attention.

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