FRIENDSHIPS AND SOCIAL NETWORKS IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE - FLUIDITY, RELIABILITY, AND INTERRELATIONS

Social networks and friendships were tracked over a 3-week period for 132 students enrolled in fourth- and seventh-grade classrooms. Individ ual interviews were employed to collect data on friendships. Social gr oup membership was determined by the composite social-cognitive map (S CM) procedure and by self-reports. Considerable overlap was found amon g the methods for establishing relational patterns (i.e., friendships, self-reported groups, composite social-cognitive maps). When loose cr iteria for stability were employed, high stability was found in friend ships (p = .56-.75) and social group membership (p = .90) over a 3-wee k period. But when stringent criteria were employed, only modest socia l relationship stability was observed in both methods, suggesting that there is much greater fluidity in peer bonds than has been generally recognized. The relationship between friendship and social network mea sures, the distinctive information yielded by social networks, and gen der and age differences in group structure, fluidity, and friendships are discussed.