Handbook of Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups, First Edition

Reviews / Votes

"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 "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 undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral students. A splendid addition to the literature." - Judith F. Dunn, King's College London

"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, William McDougall Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University

"A first-rate handbook edited by three major scholars....An invaluable resource for researchers who study social and emotional competence, instructors who teach courses on socioemotional development, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students." - Celia A. Brownell, Department of Psychology, 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, University of Berlin

"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, University of Pittsburgh

"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, Department of Psychology, University of Denver

"In 41 chapters, this volume covers a very wide range of research methods, all extremely relevant to the developmental researcher. I know of no other handbook that even comes close to being so generally useful to young developmental researchers seeking to improve their knowledge of research methods. Numerous advanced topics are also treated, in many cases, in depth making the book valuable for methodologists as well. A highly commendable feature is the discussion of each method's applicability and assumptions." - Lars R. Bergman, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden

"The study of developmental change is a cardinal activity of behavioral and social science, but determining how to do it has prompted denial, disagreement, and despair for nearly a century. The contributors to this excellent volume are an outstanding group whose qualifications for guiding the field at this point in our history are truly stellar. Graduate students and faculty members alike will find this well-organized, highly informative volume indispensable as they articulate questions, design research, and analyze data pertaining to the study of change." - John R. Nesselroade, Hugh Scott Hamilton Professor of Psychology, University of Virginia, USA