Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

belonging, children, early social groups, explicit norms, groups, hierarchical order, implicit norms, in-group favoritism, loosely organized, members, out-group discrimination, peer group, peer groups, peer interaction, peer interactions, playsets, popular, preschoolers, racial bias, regular basis, school age, social identity, social impact, social status, time

Disciplines

Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Peer interactions often occur in groups. Children spend an increasing amount of time in these groups as they age. Preschoolers begin to interact with each other around playsets, although these early social groups are loosely organized. It is not until they reach school age that children begin to feel as though they are true members of a peer group. A peer group interacts on a regular basis, provides a sense of belonging, has implicit or explicit norms, and has a hierarchical order. Within these groups, social status becomes important, with some members being more popular and having a greater social impact than others.

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