Childhood Friendships and Social Capital

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Questions and Answers

At what age do cross-gender friendships nearly disappear?

Adulthood (approximately 20 to 30 years old)

Adolescence (approximately 12 to 18 years old)

Middle childhood (approximately 6 to 11 years old) (correct)

Early childhood (approximately 1 to 5 years old)

What is a common aspect of friendship expectations among older children?

Loyalty and trust

Shared values and rules (correct)

Concrete reciprocities

Similarity between oneself and one's friends

What percentage of preschool children's friends are other-gendered?

30 percent (correct)

20 percent

10 percent

40 percent

What do adolescent friends expect from their friendships?

Shared interests, understanding, empathy, and intimacy Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary influence on the relationships children have with their peers?

Early family relationships Signup and view all the answers

When do cross-gender friendships start to become more common again?

In adolescence Signup and view all the answers

What happens to cross-gender friendships in university settings?

They become more common Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of coercive mother-child relations during childhood?

Aggressive behavior Signup and view all the answers

What do friends expect in terms of conflict resolution?

Constructive conflict resolution Signup and view all the answers

Why are 'only' children more likely to have imaginary friends?

They have a strong need for companionship Signup and view all the answers

What is unique about sibling relationships compared to friendships?

Conflicts are more intense and less likely to be resolved Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of having strong friendships in childhood?

They buffer children from family vulnerabilities and stress Signup and view all the answers

What do young children emphasize in their friendships?

Concrete reciprocities and common interests Signup and view all the answers

What is a key factor that predicts having friends and friendship functioning in childhood?

Peer competence linked to early family relationships Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of children fail to form friendship relationships?

10 percent Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of girls' friendships that is more frequent than in boys' friendships?

Relational aggression Signup and view all the answers

What is the main content of interaction between friends during the preschool years?

Play Signup and view all the answers

Approximately what percentage of children have a best friend and several good friends during middle childhood?

85 percent Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true about girls' self-ratings of their friendships?

They are more intimate than boys' ratings Signup and view all the answers

In what year does the word 'friend' usually appear in a child's vocabulary?

Third or fourth year Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of close peer and friendships groups for homosexual individuals?

Lessening mental health problems associated with stigmatization Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the 'friendship model' that many adults follow?

Forming committed roommate arrangements Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Adult Friendships

Friendships provide social capital, or resources, and reduce mental health problems associated with stigmatization.
Close peer and friendships groups lessen mental health problems like depression.
Single people place high value on friendships.
Many adults follow the "friendship model", where committed roommate arrangements become family.

Childhood Friendships

Most children form friendships, but about 10% fail to do so.
Social reciprocity and mutuality are central to the meaning of friendships for almost everyone.
The word "friend" usually appears in the third or fourth year, and preschool-aged children may miss their friends when they are absent.
Children typically define friendship in terms of concrete reciprocities, such as "We play".
In preschool years, 75% of children have preferred playmates, and play is the main content of their interactions.
By middle childhood, 85% of children have a best friend and several good friends.
Girls' self-ratings of their friendships are more intimate, and self-disclosure is more common.
Girls also employ relational aggression more frequently than boys.

Cross-Gender Friendships

Cross-gender friendships provide an insider's perspective on how members of the other sex think, feel, and behave.
In early childhood, 30% of preschool children's friends are other-gendered, but this percentage declines through middle childhood to 5%.
Cross-gender friendships are nearly non-existent in middle childhood.
In adolescence, 25% of teenagers' friendship networks become mixed gender, and individuals have more and closer cross-sex friends.
Other-gender friends are likely to be "secondary" rather than "best friends" throughout childhood.

Friendship Expectations

Young children expect friendships to involve common interests and concrete reciprocities, mainly in play.
Older children describe friends as sharing values and rules about loyalty and trust.
Friends expect to spend time together, engage in constructive conflict resolution, and share interests.
Adolescent friends expect shared interests, understanding, empathy, and intimacy, and similarity between themselves and their friends is increasingly important.
Symmetrical reciprocities remain the major basis for friendships, and continued consensual validation and commitment are required for friendships to be maintained.

General Research Findings

Family relationships in earliest childhood set the stage for relationships with peers.
Early caregiving and attachment security are antecedents of harmony, responsiveness, and competence in peer interaction during childhood and beyond.
Coercive mother-child relations may lead to aggressive behavior during childhood, both at home and outside.
Good family relations in the earliest years do not necessarily predict friendship functioning in either early or middle childhood.
Peer competence linked to early family relationships predicts having friends and friendship functioning in childhood.
"Only" children are more likely to have imaginary friends than those who have siblings.
Sibling relationships and friendships are different social contexts, especially in terms of conflict.
Friendships in childhood "buffer" children from family vulnerabilities and stress.

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Description

This quiz is based on Willard Hartup's article on friendships in childhood, focusing on the benefits of close friendships and their impact on mental health. It covers how friendships provide social capital, reduce mental health problems, and affect individuals.