Conceptions of Friendship, Social Behaviour and School Achievement in Six-Year-Old Children

Thirty six-year-old children were observed in the classroom and in the playground with friends and with non-friends. The children were given verbal IQ, reading and number tests, and the developmental level of their friendship conception was also assessed. Children with a high level of friendship conception were more likely than lows to ignore others, tried to control and organise others more, and were more successful at it. Highs were also less likely to be the victirms of all forms of negative behaviour. These links appear to be stronger when companions were non-friends. Level of friendship conception was positively correlated with verbal IQ for all children but with reading and number test scores only for girls. For boys, level of friendship conception was negatively correlated with reading and number test scores. These results are discussed in the context of the development of children's social understanding and the different ways in which boys and girls reconcile the expectations of teachers and peers.