Dr. Charles Bleiker investigated peer interaction in a study of two toddlers named Hiro and John. He found that bonds of friendship were formed quickly in day care center environments, and that meaningful exchanges of compassion and empathy were evident. Bleiker discovered a great deal of verbal and nonverbal communication between the two boys. The relationship had all the ups and downs of interactions among most young children, and the strategies used by caregivers had great influence on the outcome of conflict. Bleiker concluded that pairing up youngsters in day care has tremendous benefits for establishing good social competencies (Bleiker, 1999).

With reference to the case of Hiro and John, respond to the following questions:

Do very young children develop meaningful relationships with peers? Explain.

Are those relationships different from those developed later in school, and later yet, in middle and high school? Explain.

What are the characteristics of such relationships?

What social competencies would a toddler acquire in a peer relationship? Explain.

Can a toddler develop negative traits from these relationships? If so, how?

What type of environment would be most beneficial for developing competent peer friendships? Why?

Be sure to offer support from your textbook on each of these.