Social and social-cognitive correlates of sociometric status in preschool and kindergarten children.

Sociometric popularity was determined for 123 preschoolers and 111 kindergartners. Each S was then observed during free play for 6 10-sec time samples, each day, over 30 days for preschoolers and 25 days for kindergartners. The level of social and cognitive play observed was recorded, as well as the S's conversational partners, the initiator of the activity, and the affective quality of each social interchange. Social competence (as rated by teachers) and social problem-solving ability were also assessed. Analyses revealed peer rejection to be consistently related to agonistic behavior. Second, unpopular Ss were observed to engage in less mature forms of play and to interact less with others than were their more popular agemates. (French abstract) (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)