PSYC 2500 Chapter 13: psyc2500Ch. 13
Document Summary
Peers people of approximately the same age and status. Piaget suggested that because of the relative equality in terms of power between peers, children tend to be more open and spontaneous with peers when expressing their ideas and beliefs than when they are with adults. Peers jointly construct their own explanations and rules for why or how things work or should work. Vygotsky suggested that children learn new skills and develop their cognitive capacities in peer interactions. Other researchers emphasize the social and emotional gains provided by peer interaction. Friendship an intimate, reciprocated positive relationship between two people. Tend to be in greater evidence in play of friends than of nonfriends: especially with friends, cooperation and coordination in children"s interactions increase substantially from the toddler to the preschool years. In school years, many of the patterns apparent in the interactions among preschool-aged friends and nonfriends persist and become more sharply defined.