Purpose: Follow-up studies of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in early childhood that focus on friendship formation during adolescence are scarce. The present study focused on exploring characteristics possibly related to the ability to establish friendships during adolescence among children diagnosed with ASD in…

Secrets carry valuable social information. Because the content of secrets can be damaging to the secret-keeper's reputation, people should only disclose their secrets to people whom they trust. Therefore, tracking which people know each other's secrets can be used as cue of social relationships: If one person tells another person a secret, those…

Children in late elementary and middle school tend to form friendships with same-race peers. Yet, given the potential benefits of cross-race friendships, it is important to understand the individual and contextual factors that increase the likelihood of cross-race friendship over time. Guided by contact hypothesis and systems theory, we examine…

The purpose of this embedded explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the impact of mentoring relationships on generativity in college students. Generativity refers to concern for establishing and guiding the next generation The first, quantitative phase compared generativity levels among general college students, college student…

Pairs of friends were identified in a sample of 147 seventh and 161 tenth graders. A problem-solving task completed by friends was used to identify friendship types, and individual students were interviewed about their views concerning friendship and their reaction to a friendship dilemma. Found age-related differences in types of friendship and…

Discusses how friendships are transformed from equality-based exchange relationships during early childhood into need-based communal relationships during adolescence. Builds upon thesis that developmental changes in friendships can best be understood using both deep- and surface- structure levels of analysis. Examines cognitive representations of…

Delineates a series of nine questions concerning the study of adolescent friendships that must be addressed by theorists and empirical investigators. The questions concern comparisons between different types of relationships; peer relationships; individual differences; developmental differences; changes in friendship over time; friendship…

Similarities between adolescents are often the cornerstone of a friendship; yet researchers know little about the similarities in friends' perceptions of the relationship. In the current study, the authors examine similarities in friends' perceived friendship qualities during the transition into early adolescence (n = 77 third graders, 110 fourth…

This study longitudinally examined attributes of children's social networks as they changed from the preschool period to middle childhood. The social networks of 75 middle class white children at 3, 6, and 9 years of age were assessed for daily contact and number of contacts with kin, nonkin, adults, peers, and same and opposite sex friends. Data…

Adolescents and young adults (three age groups: 12-15, 16-19, and 20-28 years) reported their use of parents, and peers to fulfill attachment functions (proximity-seeking, safe haven, and secure base.) The use of each target figure varied with age and attachment function. Mothers were an important source of security across this age range. They…

Examined developmental differences in parental availability and child dependency in late childhood and early adolescence and their association with peer relations. Found that children's perceptions of mother's availability and boys' perceptions of father's availability did not change with age. Dependency decreased with age. Positive friendship…

Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of one- to six-year-olds in full-time child care assessed sequences and individual differences in development of social competence with peers. Study collects most extensive and varied data to date. Findings concern stability of individual differences, social classifications, influences of variations in…

In order to identify differences in risk factors for suicide attempts throughout adolescence, this study utilized a school-based survey of ninth (n = 1,192) and eleventh graders (N = 1,055). Suicide attempts were associated with cigarette and alcohol use, family violence, and depression for ninth graders and with illicit drug use, school violence,…

This book provides teachers of infants and toddlers with an in-depth guide to infant and toddler development, theories of growth and development, and best practices in early childhood education. The chapters are: (1) "Innovations: Infant and Toddler Development," looking at the underlying principles of developmental and interactional…