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“In the second edition of this handbook, editors Bukowski, Laursen, and Rubin have assembled an impressive team of leading scholars, delivering revised and new topics on peer interactions, relationships, and groups. Half the content of the book is new to the second edition….The handbook is a must read for academics with interest in peer interactions and relationships. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.”

—Choice Reviews


“Meets or exceeds the criteria that we may expect for a 'true' developmental handbook....The scope of the volume is also impressive and the structure is logical and well organized....The editors and authors of this volume represent the 'A-list' of researchers and theorists working in this area and there is no comparable resource available....Researchers and instructors will find this collection useful for refining and expanding their own work and for introducing colleagues and students to the state of the art in peer relations research. The work presented here and the overview that these experts provide gives one an excellent sense of how the field has grown and expanded, where the active lines of research currently lie, and where they might be headed....This handbook [is] a solid investment for anyone who needs to access the state of the art or wishes to see where it might be headed.”

—Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology (on the first edition)


“Certainly the definitive volume on the social development of children from infancy to adolescence....An indisputable resource for anyone interested in socio-emotional development. Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.”

—Choice Reviews (on the first edition)


“The second edition of this handbook provides the definitive summary of research on children’s peer relations. Even for the seasoned veteran, there is much to learn here. Findings from individual differences research synergize with developmental findings in novel ways. For example, we learn from Hay, Caplan, and Nash that species-wide development in social cognition presages species-wide growth in play, and from McDonald and Asher that individual differences in social cognition predict individual differences in peer acceptance. The field has matured to the point where Lansford’s capstone chapter on public policy now has the authority of strong empirical science.”

—Kenneth A. Dodge, PhD, Pritzker Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University


“The contributors to this second edition are a 'who's who' of researchers in peer relationships. The breadth of topics is equally impressive, covering everything from effects of genes, popularity, and income to the evolutionary bases of peer relations and their links to mental health. The book embodies an impressive range of disciplinary perspectives. Perhaps most important, the individual chapters are interesting and provocative—they not only thoroughly review the literature, but also take a stance and make new points that should help advance the field. The editors and contributors are to be commended for an outstanding work!”

—Joseph P. Allen, PhD, Hugh P. Kelly Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia


“The second edition of this handbook reviews recent advances in the field and presents a complete picture of relevant theories and research methods. The volume offers a multidisciplinary perspective on peer relations in both typical and atypical development. Peer relations are explored in all of their dimensions, from the influences of individual differences and cultural contexts to the dynamics of dyads, groups, friendships, and romantic relationships. Among the book's numerous strengths are discussions of intervention and policy issues, as well as new content on neuroscience.”

—Simona C. S. Caravita, PhD, Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy


“Impressive in its scope and coverage of the literature on children’s peer relations. The second edition includes comprehensive, current updates on such topics as the relation between peer acceptance or rejection and children's later adjustment. There are new chapters on intriguing, scientifically important topics, including how children function within networks and groups. Valuable reading.”

—John E. Lochman, PhD, ABPP, Professor and Doddridge Saxon Chairholder in Clinical Psychology, University of Alabama

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction

1. Peer Relations: Past, Present, and Promise, William M. Bukowski, Brett Laursen, & Kenneth H. Rubin

II. Conceptual Origins of Peer Research

2. Socioethological/Developmental Principles and Perspectives on Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups from Early Childhood through Adolescence, António J. Santos & Brian E. Vaughn

3. Pathways, Networks, and Norms. A Sociological Perspective on Peer Research, René Veenstra, Jan KornelisDijkstra, & Derek A. Kreager

4. Sociometric Perspectives, Antonius H. N. Cillessen & William M. Bukowski

5. The Peer Group: Linking Conceptualizations, Theories, and Methods, Thomas A. Kindermann & Scott D. Gest

6. Evolution and Peer Relations: Considering the Functional Roles of Aggression and Prosociality, Patricia H. Hawley & Andrew R. Bower

7. Peer Relations and Psychosocial Development: Perspectives from Genetic Approaches, Mara Brendgen, Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, & Michel Boivin

8. Peers and the Self, William M. Bukowski & Diana Raufelder

III. Individual Characteristics and Peer Interactions

9. Personality and Peer Relationships, Marcel A. G. van Aken & Jens B. Asendorpf

10. Neuroscience and Peer Relations, Amanda E. Guyer & Johanna M. Jarcho

11. The Beginnings of Peer Relations, Dale F. Hay, Marlene Caplan, & Alison Nash

12. Children’s Play and Peer Relations, Nina Howe & Jamie Leach

13. Prosocial Behavior with Peers: Intentions, Outcomes, and Interpersonal Adjustment, Melanie A. Dirks, Kristen A. Dunfield, & Holly E. Recchia

14. Conflict between Peers, Brett Laursen & Ryan Adams

15. The Interface of Aggression and Peer Relations in Childhood and Adolescence, Frank Vitaro, Michel Boivin, & François Poulin

16. Bullying and Victimization, Christina Salmivalli & Kätlin Peets

17. Avoiding and Withdrawing from the Peer Group, Kenneth H. Rubin, Julie C. Bowker, Matthew G. Barstead, & Robert J. Coplan

IV. Dyads and Groups

18. Parent–Child Attachment and Peer Relations, Cathyrn Booth-LaForce, & Ashley M. Groh

19. Friendship in Childhood and Adolescence: Features, Effects, and Processes, Catherine L. Bagwell & William M. Bukowski

20. Differences and Similarities: The Dynamics of Same- and Other-Sex Peer Relationships, Carol Lynn Martin, Richard A. Fabes, & Laura D. Hanish

21. The Romantic Relationships of Youth, Wyndol Furman

22. Peer Acceptance, Peer Rejection, and Popularity: Social Cognitive and Behavioral Perspectives, Kristina L. McDonald & Steven R. Asher

23. Peer Influence, Brett Laursen

24. Intergroup Exclusion, Moral Judgments, and Social Cognition, Melanie Killen, Adam Rutland, Michael T. Rizzo, & Luke McGuire

V. Diversity in Peer Experience

25. The Potential of Schools to Facilitate and Constrain Peer Relationships, Jaana Juvonen

26. Inequality and Neighborhood Effects on Peer Relations, Adrienne Nishina & Amy Bellmore

27. Social Media and Peer Relationships, Marion K. Underwood, B. Bradford Brown, & Samuel E. Ehrenreich

28. Culture and Peer Relationships, Xinyin Chen, Jinsol Lee, & Lingjun Chen

29. Gender and Peer Relationships, Amanda J. Rose & Rhiannon L. Smith

30. Race and Ethnicity in Peer Relations Research, Sandra Graham & Leslie Echols

VI. Outcomes, Intervention, and Policy

31. Peer Status and Psychopathology, Mitchell J. Prinstein, Diana Rancourt, Caroline B. Adelman, Erica Ahlich, Jennifer Smith, & John D. Guerry

32. Peers, Academics and Teachers, Allison M. Ryan & Huiyoung Shin

33. Peer-Based Interventions for Behaviorally Inhibited, Socially Withdrawn, and Socially Anxious Children, Robert J. Coplan, Barry H. Schneider, Laura L. Ooi, & William E. Hipson

34. Youth Activity Participation: An Ecological Peer-Based Approach for Positive Youth Development, Linda Rose-Krasnor & Heather Ramey

35. Public Policy and Peer Relationships, Jennifer E. Lansford

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About the Editors

William M. Bukowski, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and holds a University Research Chair in early adolescent development. From 2008-2016 he was Director of the Centre for Research in Human Development, a multidisciplinary and multi-university research center housed at Concordia. He is a recipient of the John P. Hill Memorial Award from the Society for Research in Adolescence and is a Charter Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development. Dr. Bukowski's research examines the features and effects of school-age children’s and early adolescents’ experiences with their peers.

• All titles by William M. Bukowski

Brett Laursen, PhD, is Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Training at Florida Atlantic University. He is also Docent Professor of Social Developmental Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Dr. Laursen is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 7, Developmental), a Fellow and Charter Member of the Association for Psychological Science, and the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Örebro University, Sweden. He is Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Development. Dr. Laursen’s research focuses on friendship and romantic relationships during childhood and adolescence and their influence on individual social and academic adjustment.

• All titles by Brett Laursen

Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD, is Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology and Founding Director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a Fellow of the American and Canadian Psychological Associations, the Association for Psychological Science, and the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development (ISSBD). Dr. Rubin is a recipient of Distinguished Contribution awards from the Society for Research in Child Development and the ISSBD, the Developmental Psychology Mentor Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Pickering Award for Outstanding Contribution to Developmental Psychology in Canada, among other honors. His research focuses on peer and parent-child relationships and the origins and developmental course of social and emotional adjustment and maladjustment in childhood and adolescence.

• Author's website
• All titles by Kenneth H. Rubin

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Contributors

Ryan Adams, PhD, Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Caroline B. Adelman, PhD, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Erica Ahlich, BA, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Jens B. Asendorpf, PhD, Department of Psychology, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Steven R. Asher, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Catherine L. Bagwell, PhD, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, Georgia

Matthew G. Barstead, MS, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Amy Bellmore, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

Michel Boivin, PhD, School of Psychology, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Cathyrn Booth-LaForce, PhD, Department of Family and Child Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Andrew R. Bower, PhD, College of Education, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Julie C. Bowker, PhD, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York

Mara Brendgen, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

B. Bradford Brown, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin– Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

William M. Bukowski, PhD, Department of Psychology, Centre for Research in Human Development, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Marlene Caplan, PhD, Helen Arkell Centre, London, United Kingdom Lingjun Chen, MEd, Human Development and Quantitative Methods Division, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Xinyin Chen, PhD, Human Development and Quantitative Methods Division, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Antonius H. N. Cillessen, PhD, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Robert J. Coplan, PhD, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Jan Kornelis Dijkstra, PhD, Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Melanie A. Dirks, PhD, Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Kristen A. Dunfield, PhD, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Leslie Echols, PhD, Department of Psychology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri

Samuel E. Ehrenreich, PhD, Human Development and Family Studies Program, College of Education, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada

Richard A. Fabes, PhD, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Wyndol Furman, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

Scott D. Gest, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Sandra Graham, PhD, Human Development and Psychology Division, Department of Education, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Ashley M. Groh, PhD, Department of Psychological Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri

John D. Guerry, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Amanda E. Guyer, PhD, Department of Human Ecology, Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Laura D. Hanish, PhD, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Patricia H. Hawley, PhD, College of Education, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Dale F. Hay, PhD, Centre for Human Developmental Science, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom

William E. Hipson, MA, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Nina Howe, PhD, Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Johanna M. Jarcho, PhD, Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York

Jaana Juvonen, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

Melanie Killen, PhD, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Thomas A. Kindermann, PhD, Department of Psychology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Derek A. Kreager, PhD, Department of Sociology and Criminology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Jennifer E. Lansford, PhD, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Brett Laursen, PhD, Department of Psychology, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Jamie Leach, MA, Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Jinsol Lee, MEd, Human Development and Quantitative Methods Division, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Carol Lynn Martin, PhD, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Kristina L. McDonald, PhD, Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Luke McGuire, MSc, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom

Alison Nash, PhD, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, New York

Adrienne Nishina, PhD, Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California

Laura L. Ooi, MA, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Isabelle Ouellet-Morin, PhD, School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Kätlin Peets, PhD, Department of Psychology, St. John’s University, Queens, New York; School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Tallinn, Estonia

François Poulin, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Mitchell J. Prinstein, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Heather L. Ramey, PhD, School of Social and Community Services, Humber College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Child and Youth Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Diana Rancourt, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Diana Raufelder, PhD, Institute of Education Science, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany

Holly E. Recchia, PhD, Department of Education, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Michael T. Rizzo, BS, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Amanda J. Rose, PhD, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri

Linda Rose-Krasnor, PhD, Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Kenneth H. Rubin, PhD, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Adam Rutland, PhD, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom

Allison M. Ryan, PhD, Combined Program in Education and Psychology, School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Christina Salmivalli, PhD, Division of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

António J. Santos, PhD, William James Center for Research, ISPA—Instituto Universitário, Lisbon, Portugal

Barry H. Schneider, PhD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts

Huiyoung Shin, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Jennifer Smith, MA, The Family Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Rhiannon L. Smith, PhD, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut

Marion K. Underwood, PhD, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas

Marcel A. G. van Aken, PhD, Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Brian E. Vaughn, PhD, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

René Veenstra, PhD, Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Frank Vitaro, PhD, School of Psychoeducation, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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Audience

Researchers and students in developmental psychology; also of interest to clinical, school, and educational psychologists, educators, and sociologists.

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Course Use

May serve as a text in graduate-level courses.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

First Edition, © 2009
ISBN: 9781609182229

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New to this edition:

• Chapters on neuroscience, social media, social inequality, prosocial behavior with peers, and sociological approaches.
• Expanded coverage of applied issues: chapters on interventions for socially withdrawn children, activity programs that promote positive youth development, and policy initiatives.
• Chapters on same- and other-sex peer relationships, peer influence, educational environments, evolutionary models, the self-concept, personality, and animal studies.
• Increased attention to variations in peer relations due to culture, gender, and race.
• Many new authors and topics reflect a decade's worth of theoretical and methodological advances, including the growing use of complex longitudinal methods.