ABSTRACT
The contribution of peer relations to the socialization of children has recently received increased attention in the developmental literature. W. W. Hartup, in his comprehensive review, asserts, "In most cultures, the significance of peer relations as a socialization context is rivaled only by the family." One is hard pressed to think of a culture in which this is not the case; in fact, the scientific interest in peer relations reverses a long-standing bias in western psychology that overemphasized the role of parents, especially the mother, as socialization agents. Recent American research has explored developmental trends in gender segregation of childrens peer groups. It is important to differentiate, however, systematic trends in children from systematic changes in their environments. Social life for the infant in Kokwet does not start out primarily in an isolated dyad, as is the case for large numbers of American babies. The Kipsigis case highlights the intermediate variable of setting is not independent of the larger cultural system.
