PSY BEH 101D Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Sociometric Status, Suicidal Ideation, Peer Pressure

• School: UC-Irvine
• Department: Psychology and Social Behavior
• Course: PSY BEH 101D
• Professor: Jutta Heckhausen

Document Summary

Peers: individuals of about the same age or maturity level. Peer groups provide a source of information and comparison about the world outside the family. Basic lifestyle decisions by parents (i. e. choice of neighborhood) largely determine the pool from which their children select possible friends. Peer interaction is influenced by contexts, which can include the type of peer the individual interacts with and the situation or location where they interact. Around age 3, children already prefer to spend time with same sex rather than opposite sex playmates (increases in early childhood) The frequency of peer interaction (positive and negative) picks up considerably. As children enter the elementary school years, reciprocity becomes especially important in peer interchanges. Until about 12, their preference for same sex groups increases: researchers estimate that the percentage of time spend in social interaction with peers increases from approx. 10% at age 2 to more than 30% in middle and late childhood.