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A comparative study of relationship structure
Author(s) -
Hinde Robert A.,
Tamplin Alison,
Barrett Jane
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
british journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 2044-8309
pISSN - 0144-6665
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8309.1993.tb00995.x
Subject(s) - psychology , social psychology , equating , developmental psychology , sibling , social relation , interpersonal relationship , rasch model
Interactions with another individual (or category of individuals) are affected by past interactions and by expectations of future ones. So far, however, there has been little study of the structure (in terms of the correlations between interactions of different types) of relationships of particular types, or of behaviour with specified categories of others. This paper presents a comparative study of children's interactions in four social contexts—with mother and with sibling at home, and with peers and teachers in preschool. The structures differ in several respects, and the differences reflect the nature of the relationships concerned. While all consisted of groups of positive and negative interactions, the extent of these groups differed between relationships: in general, they were not directly negatively correlated with each other. In some relationships, the partners played equal roles in initiating interactions, while others were more complementary. In some relationships, long sequences of interactions tended to be more positive than short, and in others the reverse was the case. Some behavioural items had different associations in different contexts, indicating the danger of equating behavioural items across contexts.