| Abstract: | ![]()
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acquaintanceship on school-age children's interactions. On the basis of Altman and Taylor's (1973) theory, four specific components were examined: (a) information exchange, (b) engagement in mutual activities, (c) negative evaluations of the other, and (d) efforts to direct the other's behavior. Forty dyads of acquainted and unacquainted, same-sex, third-grade children were observed interacting in an experimental laboratory. Unacquainted girls were found to engage in more information exchange than acquainted girls, but boys in the two conditions did not differ. Acquainted children showed some signs of engaging in mutual activities more often than unacquainted children. Negative evaluations (refusing to comply or expressing disapproval of the other) were made more often by children in the acquainted condition than by those in the unacquainted condition. Finally, the differences between the two conditions were usually found on self-report measures as well as on the measures of conversations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
