This paper presents an evolutionary perspective on children's resourcedirected
behaviour in peer groups. It is argued that reciprocity is theoretically expected to
be the fundamental rule of resource exchange in peer relationships of friendship.
Children are therefore expected to be attracted to peers who are similar to
themselves on a wide variety of traits. These traits are viewed as resources in peer
relationships, and individual differences in these traits represent a resource
environment for children. In this paper, the resource environment represented by
individual differences in several evolved motivational systems will be emphasised.
The discussion focuses on such three evolved systems, the sensation
seeking/impulsivity system, the human affectional system, and the behavioural
inhibition system. It is concluded that individual differences in these systems are
important for understanding friendship and sociometric status in children's peer relationships.
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