Later, as children leave the home setting, their self-perception and socializing skills become influenced by how their peers view them. They learn from their peers how to cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group-sanctioned modes of behavior. Friends are more important for social development because children learn more from people their own age than they do from their parents. Harris points out that children tend to conform to their peers and to assimilate in their groups. As they develop they become more aware of their differences from others and tend to gravitate toward those who have similar interests as they do.