ABSTRACT
F OR an increasing number of communication researchers,interpersonal relationships have become the topic of concern.The number of articles in journals and chapters in books devoted to analyses of interpersonal relationships has grown substantially in the last few years, with researchers addressing such topics as developmental stages of relationships (Knapp, 1984), types of intimate relationships (Fitzpatrick & Best, 1979), the role of communication in the formation of friendships and selection of mates (Cushman, Valentinsen, & Dietrich, 1982), and the behavioral components of competence in relationships (Spitzberg & Hecht, 1984). Although this burgeoning literature contains many significant insights, virtually all studies of relationships authored by communication scholars have been concerned exclusively with the interpersonal relationships of adults: Very few studies published in communication journals have focused on the interpersonal relationships of children.
