CHAPTER OVERVIEW AND CONNECTIONS TO OTHER CHAPTERS Socialization is a major goal of all people and involves teaching children the values, mores, norms, and roles of their culture. This task falls initially to the parents, which is why it is so important to focus on the impact of parents on children’s socialization. This chapter examines the many socializing forces in a child’s life, including family. The emphasis is on children of elementary school age, and covers development from the years of approximately seven to twelve. In addition to the impact of family on children’s development, this chapter also examines the role of divorce, remarriage, peers, and television as sources of socialization. The authors emphasize the potent effects of parenting style by showing its consequences for a child’s emotional and cognitive development, as well as its impact on peer relationships. Also important are individual characteristics of children, as these often determine the quality of parenting and the nature of peer interactions. Additionally, this chapter examines children’s understanding of others in terms of their descriptions of others and the development of perspective-taking and prejudice. The authors examine how socialization, parenting, and sibling relationships differ by ethnic groups. This chapter is closely related to the two preceding chapters. From Chapter 5, you can draw connections between the development of empathy and positive peer relationships, attachment and parenting style, and the social roles of gender and violence on TV; from Chapter 6, you can examine the impact of cognitive development on changes in the complexity of peer relationships and the social networks of older children, as well as the features of educational settings that enhance socialization.