CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS, INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES, AND EARLY LITERACY LEARNING

We hypothesized that the emotional investment and mutuality characteri stic of friendship dyads, compared to nonfriend dyads, would support c onflicts and resolutions, as well as reflection on emotions and litera te language. We also tested a process model by which temperament influ enced interactions leading to the expression of conflicts and resoluti ons, which, in turn, lead to use of emotional and literate language in friend and nonfriend dyads. Dyads of kindergarten children were obser ved in either friend or nonfriend dyads across the school year. While rates of conflicts were similar, friends, compared to nonfriends, more frequently resolved conflicts and generated more emotional and litera te language. Our process model of literate language was also supported . Directions for future research are discussed. (C) 1997 Academic Pres s.