Stability and change of social relations between children: analysis of functional mechanism

Abstract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the association between the properties and the stability of social relations and their related mechanisms. Twenty one children from a fifth grade group of elementary school were interviewed and observed three times over a year. Three groups were constituted derived from friendship mutual nomination, social cognitive maps and the observation of social interactions, where the stability of their relations was the criteria. The dyadic categories of analysis were stable, average and short relations. Properties of initiating acts, peers time allocation, social effectiveness, social responsiveness and reciprocity were evaluated. Data show an association between the stability of social relations and initiating acts, dyadic time allocation and reciprocity. The convergence of the three main procedures of data collection proved a valuable strategy to identify the development of social relations in natural settings.