ABSTRACT
ALTHOUGH research on the conversations of friends typically focuses on adult friendships (for example, Baxter & Wilmot, 1982; Ginsberg, 1980), researchers are finding that the friendships of young children, even preschoolers, are characterized by a substantial amount of connected discourse (for example, Gottman, in press; Parkhurst, 1982). To understand the developmental changes that occur in the conversations of friends, it is necessary to take a broader look at the child’s social world. Kon (1981) has suggested that changes in the relative significance of peers (as against adults) and in friendship roles and expectations are interrelated with changes in the nature of friendship communication. The school years (ages 6 to 17) are a time of rapid change in all aspects of a child’s social world. A brief summary of current knowledge about the child’s social world at three points in the school-age period would appear to be in order, with an emphasis on the conversations of friends.
