Table 2.

Summary of Studies Examining Sex Differences in Social-Cognitive Relationship Styles with Peers

Construct	Reference	Method	Age/Grade	n Girls	n Boys	Significance Test	Effect Size
Centrality of Relationships to Self
Self-descript-ions include relationships	McGuire & McGuire, 1982	Self report	7–17 years	280	280	G > B	.17esp
Cares about Peer Relationships
Care about close friendships	Benenson & Benarroch, 1998	Self report	Grades 7–8	18	23	G > B	.88
Care about popularity	Benenson & Benarroch, 1998	Self report	Grades 7–8	18	23	G = B	−.39
Connection-Oriented Goal Orientation
Importance of social goals	Ford, 1982	Self report	Grades 9, 12
		-school 1		109	109en	G > B	-
		-school 2		181	180	G > B	-
Relationship maintenance goals	Chung & Asher, 1996	Self report	Grades 4–6	62	80	G = B	.26
	Rose & Asher, 1999	Self report	Grades 4–5	322	345	G > B	.18
Intimacy goals	Jarvinen & Nicholls, 1996	Self report	Grade 9	137	125en	G > B	.93
Nurturance goals	Jarvinen & Nicholls, 1996	Self report	Grade 9	137	125en	G > B	.63
Mutual participation goals	Strough & Berg, 2000	Self report	Grade 6	36	34d	G > B	.79
Friendly goals	Murphy & Eisenberg, 2002	Self report	7–11 years	60	58	G > B	.71
Prosocial support goals	Rose & Asher, 2004	Self report	Grade 5	237	262	G > B	.56
Resolving peer problems goals	Rose & Asher, 2004	Self report	Grade 5	236	263	G > B	.21
Interpersonal Vulnerability/Concerns
Interpersonal dysphoria/concerns/dependency	Blatt, Hart, Quinlan, Leadbeater, & Auerbach, 1993	Self report	Grades 9–12	259	229	G > B	.93
	Kuperminc, Blatt, & Leadbeater, 1997	Self report	Grades 6–7	253	246	G > B	.64
Neediness and relatedness	Henrich, Blatt, Kuperminc, Zohar, & Leadbeater, 2001	Self report	Grades 6–7
		-neediness		254	244en	G > B	.44
		-relatedness		254	243en	G > B	.59
Fear of negative evaluation/Social evaluative concerns	LaGreca, Dandes, Wick, Shaw, & Stone, 1988	Self report	Grades 2–6	129	158	G > B	.43
	LaGreca & Lopez, 1998	Self report	Grades 10–12	149	101	G > B	.28
	LaGreca & Stone, 1993	Self report	Grades 4–6	233	226	G > B	.27
	Liu & Kaplan, 1999	Self report	Grade 8	1481	1112
		-bothered by peers dislike				G > B	.28
		-care what peers think				G > B	.13
	Rudolph & Conley, 2005	Self report	Grade 5	220	212	G > B	.48
	Storch, Brassard, & Masia-Warner, 2003	Self report	Grades 9–10	236	144en	G > B	.29
	Storch, Zelman, Sweeney, Danner, & Dove, 2002	Self report	8–13 years	27	48en	G > B	.49esc
Friendship Jealousy
	Parker, Low, Walker, & Gamm, 2005	Self report
		-study 1	Grade 9	57	57en	G > B	.38
		-study 2	Grades 5–9	151	141	G > B	.25
		Friend report
		-study 2	Grades 5–9	151	141	G = B	.12
		Peer report (not friends)
		-study 2	Grades 5–9	151	141	G > B	.84
	Roth & Parker, 2001	Self report	Grade 9	38	37	G = B	-
Empathy
Self-reported empathy questionnaires	Bryant, 1982	Self report	Grade 1	65	63	G > B	.56
			Grade 4	59	56	G > B	.71
			Grade 7	44	43	G > B	1.11
	Ford, 1982	Self report	Grades 9, 12
		-school 1		109	109en	G > B	-
		-school 2		109	204en	G > B	-
	Hanson & Mullis, 1985	Self report	M age = 12.72	36	28	G > B	.61
			M age = 16.90	54	78	G > B	1.73
	Olweus & Endresen, 1998	Self report	Grades 6–7	526	575	G > B	.83esr
			Grades 8–9	557	608	G > B	1.17esr
	Roberts & Strayer, 1996	Self report	9, 13 years	19	19en	G > B	.93
	Tucker, Updegraff, McHale, & Crouter, 1999	Self report
		-younger sibs	M age = 8.2	98	101	G > B	.59
		-older sibs	M age = 10.9	104	95	G > B	1.01
	Van Tilburg, Unterberg, & Vingerhoets, 2002	Self report	11–16 years	265	216	G > B	1.20
Report sadness/sympathy in response to protagonist/peer distress	Holmgren, Eisenberg, & Fabes, 1998	Self report	Grades K-2	97	102
		-sympathy				G > B	.33
		-sadness				G > B	.29
	Menesini et al., 1997	Self report	8–16 years
		-Italy		646	730	G > B	.15
		-England		3302	3883	G > B	.28
Interpersonal caring orientation (e.g., feel hurt when loved ones unhappy)	Gore, Alestine, & Colten, 1993	Self report	Grades 9–11	685	523	G > B	.46
Report same feeling as protagonist	Dekovic & Gerris, 1994	Self report	Grades 1, 3, 5	62	63	G = B	−.14
	Feshbach & Feshbach, 1969	Self report	4–5 years	24	24	G = B	.81
			6–7 years	20	20	G = B	.26
	Feshbach & Roe, 1968	Self report	6–7 years	12	12	G > B	-
	Hughes, Tingle, & Sawin, 1981	Self report	Grades K, 2	24	24	G = B	-
	Iannotti, 1985	Self report	52–66 mths	21	31	G = B	−.10
	Roberts & Strayer, 1996	Self report	5, 9, 13 years	36	33en	G > B	.54
Other-reported empathy	Roberts & Strayer, 1996	Teacher report	5, 9, 13 years	31	30	G = B	.00
		Friend report		33	29	G = B	.05
Status-Oriented/Agentic Goal Orientation
Instrumental/control goals	Rose & Asher, 1999	Self report	Grades 4–5	322	345	G < B	−.25
Self-presentation goals	Rose & Asher, 2004	Self report	Grade 5	236	263	G < B	−.32
Privacy goals	Rose & Asher, 2004	Self report	Grade 5	236	263	G < B	−.33
Control goals	Chung & Asher, 1996	Self report	Grades 4–6	62	80	G < B	−.58
	Strough & Berg, 2000	Self report	Grade 6	36	34d	G = B	−.19
Hostile goals	Slaby & Guerra, 1988	Self report	15–18 years	72	72	G < B	-
Dominance goals	Jarvinen & Nicholls, 1996	Self report	Grade 9	137	125en	G < B	−.71
Revenge goals	Rose & Asher, 1999	Self report	Grades 4–5	322	345	G < B	−.23

Notes. Studies are listed more than once if they involved more then one relevant construct.

Standardized mean difference effect sizes were computed from means and standard deviations or F/t values from a one-way ANOVA or t test unless otherwise noted.

^espEffect size computed using proportion scores.

^escEffect size computed using point-biserial correlation.

^esrEffect size could not be computed but was reported in article.

^enns were estimated because exact ns were not available.

^dTotal ns are listed but dyads are the units of analyses.