The Development of Peer Interaction in Infancy: Exploring the Dyadic Processes Shannon Tierney Williams, Lenna L. Ontai and Ann M. Mastergeorg University of California, Davis Abstract Peer interaction is an important component of children’s social repertoires that is associated with a variety of developmental outcomes and life skills. The present provides an in-depth study of early dyadic peer behaviors during the infancy pe during which social competence with peers is first being developed. Results from variable-centered analyses highlight the effectiveness of behaviors, such as offering objects to peers, and point to the importance of the social context set by a peer socialbehavior and processes for eliciting peer responses. Findings from person- centered analyses reveal marked individual differences in the processes through infants are successful in eliciting responses from their peers, illustrating the pre of multiple pathways to achieving social competence with peers. Keywords: peer interaction; dyadic processes; infancy Introduction Participation in reciprocal interactions is a crucial component of children’s overall social functioning (Black & Hazen, 1990; Rubin, Coplan, Nelson, & Legace-Segui 1999).Children who have difficulty participating in reciprocal interactions tend to experience elevated rates of peer rejection and other intrapersonal and interper challenges (Coie, Terry, Lenox, Lochman, & Hyman, 1995; Dodge et al., 2003; O dick, Weist, Borden, & Greene, 1992).However, little is known about how children develop reciprocal interaction skills. It is likely that infants’ early dyadic processes with peers are foundational to the development of these skills. The present stud to address this gap by examining these early dyadic processes when they are fi developed by studying one-year-old infants and utilizing both variable-centered person-centered approaches (Bergman & Magnusson, 1997;Magnusson, 2003)to allow for analysis at the group or average level and at the individual level. Peer Interaction in Infancy Research demonstrates that the development of social skills begins as early as i (Brownell& Brown,1992;Eckerman, Whatley, & McGehee, 1979;Howes,1988; Rauh, 1987; Vandell, Wilson, & Buchanan, 1980; Vandell & Wilson, 1987). Within Correspondence should be addressed to Shannon Tierney Williams at the Department of Human and Community Development, University of California, Davis,One Shields Avenue, Davis,CA 95616, USA. Email: stwilliams@ucdavis.edu doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00542.x © Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2009. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.