FRIENDSHIPS IN EARLY-CHILDHOOD, AND SOCIAL UNDERSTANDING

This study had two goals. The first was to provide descriptive data on the nature of individual differences in young children's close friend ships, and the second, to examine the relations between these individu al differences and children's earlier understanding of others' emotion s and mental states, and their later appreciation of ambivalent or mix ed emotions. A total of 41 children participating in a longitudinal st udy from 33 months to 6-7 years were studied with their close friends as 6-year-olds, with a combination of observations and standard socioc ognitive assessments. The results showed that different aspects of fri endship interactions, such as co-ordination of play and amity, were ne ither closely related nor linked to power assertion. Early differences in the assessment of social understanding were associated with later differences in pretend play with the friend, and friendship interactio ns at 6 years were linked to later appreciation of mixed emotions. The two-way process of influence linking individual development and frien dship quality is discussed.