Children's Peer Groups

Forms of Peer Groups

Peer groups come in many forms. A broad distinction is whether groups are culturally and institutionally assigned or formed by children themselves. The term peer group is often used to describe assigned groups, that is, collections of children who are brought together in institutionalized settings. Examples of assigned groups are classrooms, work groups, teams, or clubs that are organized by adults.

Assigned groups are very different from natural self-selected groups that children voluntarily and spontaneously create by themselves. Such groups exist as social crowds, friendship cliques, or social networks. These groups are comprised of children who belong to specific social categories, share emotional bonds, or interact frequently with one another. Their labels highlight specific characteristics of the different groups in terms of cohesiveness, interpersonal closeness, and inter con nect edness of interaction patterns.

Self-selected groups sometimes refer to social categories, defined by similarities among members in terms of personal characteristics, reputational attributes, or aspirations. Examples are social crowds of “brains” or “jocks” or groups of children who are “rejected” or “neglected” in a setting. Members of such groups do not necessarily interact with one other and sometimes do not even know each other.

In contrast, affiliation groups consist of peers who have chosen each other among available candidates, interact on a regular basis, and often share emotional bonds. Examples are groups of friends or social networks of peers who undertake joint activities. These groups differ from work groups, gangs, or clubs because there is usually no formal goal for the group other than to feel close and to share experiences. The groups tend to be overlapping and fluid; members are free to leave, and new candidates can join at any time. Because membership is determined by children themselves, researchers are skeptical about the extent to which traditional findings on experimentally or institutionally assigned groups are applicable.

Measurement

Measurement strategies in research are closely tied to the nature of the different groups. When groups are culturally or institutionally assigned, there is no problem with identifying groups; the members can be listed by the adults who assigned them, and the groups are distinct and stable. Measures capture how such groups develop social structures and group norms, how they differ from other groups, and how members interact with one another.