| Affiliation: | (1) Department of Family and Human Development, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona;(2) Department of Family and Human Development, Arizona State University, Box 872502, Tempe, Arizona, 85287-2502 |
| Abstract: | Guided by a transactional model, we examined the predictors and effects of exposure to externalizing peers in a low-risk sample of preschoolers and kindergarteners. On the basis of daily observations of peer interactions, we calculated measures of total exposure to externalizing peers and measures of exposure to same- and other-sex externalizing peers. Analyses of predictors of externalizing peer exposure supported a homophily hypothesis for girls. Tests of peer contagion effects varied by sex, and exposure to externalizing peers predicted multiple problem behaviors for girls but not for boys. Sex differences were a function of children s own sex, but not of peers sex. The study provides evidence of externalizing peer exposure effects in a low-risk sample of young children, notably for girls.Contributed equally to the conceptualization of this project |
