Synonyms
Definition
Friends are individuals who have a close, personal relationship with one another that is characterized by mutual positive feelings.
Description
Assessment of Friendship
Friendship dyads are typically identified using sociometric techniques. Specifically, researchers use some combination of positive nominations, in which children are asked to select their best friends or the classmates they like the most, and peer ratings, in which children are asked to rate how much they like to play with or participate in activities with their classmates. Identification of friends has most frequently been based on mutual positive nominations (i.e., each dyad member nominates the other as a best friend). However, some researchers have classified individuals as friends if they display mutual positive regard for one another through either positive nominations or high ratings. It has been found that operationalizing friendship based on mutual positive...
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References
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Erdley, C.A., Nangle, D.W., Burns, A.M. (2011). Friends. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1171
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_1171
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