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Some young children are better than others at making friends.  Child psychologists are working toward determining what skills more socially adept children possess, and what can be done to help children who are having a difficult time building friendships.  Assistant Professor of Psychology Julie Dunsmore, Jamie Abaied '04, Liz Casey '03 and Ellen Jamison '04 collected and analyzed data this summer in efforts to answer these questions.
 
The group collected data on affective social competence and how emotions and children's emotional capabilities affect their actions.  Data collection was achieved through the Friendship Playschool.  This was a normal morning day care housed in the psychology department.  The four-year-old children were videotaped as they interacted with the three or four other children in attendance.
 
Dunsmore theorizes that children who are more emotionally competent will develop better friendships.  She has now been studying this theory for three summers.  When the students are analyzing the videotape they look at initiation of contact and conflicts between the children.  "Emotions are present in those situations, and we can use them to observe the way the children use their emotions," said Jamison.  Abaied, who plans to attend graduate school for psychology said she is "Finding how time consuming and challenging research is.  We are nowhere near finished." 

Dunsmore is thrilled with her student researchers' accomplishments this summer.  "They're great, just fabulous.  They have been able to keep a balance of ensuring the children's welfare while running a fairly standardized procedure."  Dunsmore will continue her research after the students resume classes in the fall, while her students will always possess the valuable research experience they received from their collaboration on this project.

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