"In addition to obvious interest for social and developmental psychologists and scientists, this volume is especially interesting and informative for child clinical psychologists and developmental psychopathologists. It offers an invaluable review of the state of the art with respect to theory, assessment, knowledge of peer relationships across the lifespan, and the importance of peers for emotional and behavioral adjustment. The salience of interpersonal relationships in the development of emotional and behavioral problems--especially in later childhood and adolescence--has become better recognized and studied. This timely and scholarly handbook is an essential reference for anyone working in a clinical setting with youth."--Benjamin L. Hankin, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Denver "This volume fills a major gap in the field by bringing together the work of leading researchers in the broad area of children’s peer relationships. It is indeed astonishing that, to date, no one handbook has reviewed the huge corpus of theoretical, historical, methodological, and substantive research on children’s friendships and peer interactions, given their centrality to children’s development from early childhood to adolescence. By emphasizing not only normative social development in dyadic and group settings, but also individual differences in social competence and social behavior--as well as the familial, neighborhood, and cultural contexts of children’s relationships with peers--this comprehensive work will prove to be an invaluable reference for researchers, scholars, and graduate students."--Susan B. Campbell, PhD, Department of Psychology; Chair, Developmental Psychology Program; University of Pittsburgh "An indispensable resource for anyone interested in current knowledge on the role of peers in human development, from advanced undergraduate students to researchers in the area. The clear structuring of the broad content helps readers to quickly find what they are looking for and to organize their own ideas about peer relations."--Jens B. Asendorpf, PhD, Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany "Outstanding. The relationships of children and adolescents with their peers are examined with exceptional thoroughness and authority by the key researchers in the field. The focus on children's friendships is particularly timely and welcome, and illuminates connections among friends, family, and the larger networks of peers. The breadth of the topics covered and the clarity and accessibility of the writing make this book an excellent text for developmental psychology students."--Judith F. Dunn, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, United Kingdom "This first-rate handbook edited by three major scholars thoroughly covers the landscape. The distinguished contributors provide detailed treatments of methodology, normative development, and individual differences from early childhood through adolescence and at multiple levels of analysis. A particular strength is the emphasis on both proximal and distal mechanisms of influence. Coverage includes normal and atypical peer relationships, with applications to academic functioning and psychological adjustment. This comprehensive volume will be an invaluable resource for researchers who study social and emotional competence, instructors who teach courses on socioemotional development, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students who are looking for concise, accessible treatments of the major topics and issues in contemporary peer relations research. It will make a great addition to my bookshelf!"--Celia A. Brownell, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh
"Truly deserving of the name 'handbook,' this volume offers a complete overview of empirical research on children's peer relations, right up to today's state-of-the-art multimodal prevention experiments. Readers will learn about the full range of methods and analytic tools for studying the broad developmental span from infancy to young adulthood. Several chapters stand out as gems."--Kenneth A. Dodge, PhD, William McDougall Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University
This comprehensive, authoritative handbook covers the breadth of theories, methods, and empirically based findings on the ways in which children and adolescents contribute to one another's development. Leading researchers review what is known about the dynamics of peer interactions and relationships from infancy through adolescence. Topics include methods of assessing friendship and peer networks; early romantic relationships; individual differences and contextual factors in children's social and emotional competencies and behaviors; group dynamics; and the impact of peer relations on achievement, social adaptation, and mental health. Salient issues in intervention and prevention are also addressed.