Critical Thinking Questions

1. What are some of the ways in which same-aged peer relationships and relationships with older or younger siblings might differ? On what dimensions are they typically the same? What might Piaget and Vygotsky say about the different costs and benefits of interactions with same-aged friends and differently aged siblings?
2. What procedures and methods might someone use to assess which 2-year-old playmates in a group are close friends? How would these methods be the same or different if one were assessing close friendships at ages 6, 11, and 17?
3. List at least five ways in which interactions among friends and among nonfriends in elementary school likely differ (e.g., type of activities, style of interaction). In what ways might such differences, if they exist, influence children’s socioemotional development?
4. Consider a child who is growing up in an isolated area with few peers nearby and is being schooled at home. In what ways might his or her daily experience differ from that of children attending school? How might this affect his or her development, positively or negatively? What factors might mitigate or increase these effects?