Development of children's restrictive disclosure to friends.

Sixty preschool children, 60 peer friends, and 60 peer nonfriends (mean age = 4 years, ranging from 2 years 8 months to 6 years old) were engaged in conversations on topics varying in personal content. The findings indicate that restrictive disclosure to friends developed across the preschool period. Older preschool children (4 to 5 years old) displayed the restrictive disclosure to friend pattern; they provided more high-personal disclosures in conversations with friends than with nonfriends, while not differentially providing low-personal disclosures in conversations with the two types of peers. Younger preschool children (2 to 3 years old) displayed the opposite pattern; they provided more low-personal disclosures in conversations with friends than with nonfriends, while not differentially providing high-personal disclosures in conversations with the two types of peers. The potential causes and consequences of the development of restrictive disclosure to friends during the preschool period are discussed.