Judging the behaviors of friends and unfamiliar peers: Patterns associatedwith age and gender

This research was designed to examine age-related and gender-related patter ns in the judgments of children and early adolescents about hypothetical be haviors of friends and unfamiliar peers. Thirty-eight children, 43 younger early adolescents, and 31 older early adolescents were presented with eight scenarios that portray an actor whose behavior affects the respondent. Sce narios varied according to the status (friend or unfamiliar peer) and inten tion (good or neutral) of the actor and the outcome (good or bad) of the ac tor's behavior for the respondent. Participants were asked to recall each s cenario and to rate the appropriateness of the actor's behavior in each. Re call both of intentions and of outcomes was associated with ratings. Signif icant differences in ratings related to actors' status and intentions were found for girls but not for boys. The strongest positive bias toward friend s was found in the ratings of younger early adolescent girls.