Early peer interaction - o Early peer interaction Infants...

o Early peer interaction
 Infants and toddlers
• Contagion – if one baby cries, other babies will cry
• Arousal – peers become very interested in one another
• Reciprocal imitation – coordination of efforts with the play partner
o Shared meaning allows for pretend play
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 Childhood
• Children begin to prefer peers over adults
• Homophyly – preference for peers that are similar to one’s self
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o Role of peers in socialization
 Reinforce behaviors
 Serve as models, guides, and instructors
 Used for social comparison (evaluating one’s character in comparison to
someone else)
o Gender segregation
 3-4 years of age prefer same sex friendships
 Around 12 this changes
• Friendships
o Friends – individuals who spend time together, feel affection for each other, and
exhibit a give-and-take relationship (reciprocity)
o Factors in friend choice
 Proximity
 Age
 Sex
 Race
 Similarities
o Stages of friendship
 Play based 3-7
• Proximity