This paper is a preliminary report on some aspects of a field study on modernization conducted in the Cook Islands during 1974-75. Polynesians enjoy a widespread reputation for generosity and communal cooperation. Ethnographic and structured techniques were combined to explore changes in these personality dimensions under the impact of modernization and Western schooling. Two experiemntal procedures were used to examine intragroup variation in rivalry and competition among both adults and children, along with structural, experiential, and behavioral correlates of this variation: (1) the Coin Game, which attempts to capture (within an experimental context) the conflicting choices encountered in everyday life by offering subjects an opportunity to distribute valued goods to themselves and others in a variety of ways; and (2) The Masden Cooperation Board, which provides a context in which either cooperative or competitive behavior can occur, but only cooperative acts are rewarded. Some implications for educational policy are presented. (Author/ED)