Adolescent personality factors in self-ratings and peer nominations and their prediction of peer acceptance and peer rejection

In this study, the robustness of the Big Five personality factors in adolescents' self-ratings and peer nominations was investigated. Data were obtained on 2,001 adolescents attending secondary school (885 girls; 1,116 boys; M age = 14.5 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the self-ratings confirmed the Big Five personality factors. In contrast, exploratory analysis on the peer nominations revealed five different factors: Aggression-Inattentiveness, Achievement-Withdrawal, Self-Confidence, Sociability, and Emotionality-Nervousness. It is suggested that peers evaluate group members not in terms of their personality but in terms of their group reputation. Peer evaluations contributed substantially to the prediction of peer acceptance and rejection; the Big Five personality factors based on self-ratings did not.     

Social functioning and adjustment in Canadian-born children with Chinese and European backgrounds.

The purpose of the study was to examine social functioning and adjustment in peer context in Chinese Canadian and European Canadian children. A sample of elementary school children participated in the study. Data on social functioning, peer acceptance and rejection, and victimization were collected from peer assessments and sociometric nominations. The results indicated that Chinese Canadian children were viewed by peers as less aggressive-disruptive than European Canadian children. Chinese Canadian girls, but not boys, were more shy-sensitive than their European Canadian counterparts. Sociability was associated with peer acceptance, whereas aggression was associated with peer rejection and victimization. Shyness was associated with peer relationship difficulties more evidently in European Canadian children than in Chinese Canadian children. These results indicate the relevance of ethnic background to children's peer social experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer Academic Reputation in Elementary School: Associations With Changes in Self-Concept and Academic Skills.

The developmental significance of children's academic reputation among peers was examined in a longitudinal study of 400 children in Grades 3, 4, and 5. In the fall of Year 1, teachers rated children's academic skills and behavior, and peers provided nominations describing classmates' academic skills, social acceptance versus rejection, and aggressive behavior. In the fall and spring of Year 1, children provided reports of their academic self-concept, social self-concept, and global self-worth. In the fall of Year 2, teachers rated children's academic skills. Results indicated that 4 items assessing peer academic reputation formed an internally consistent scale that was correlated moderately and distinctively with teacher-rated academic skills. Peer academic reputation and teacher-rated academic skills each contributed independently to the prediction of fall-to-spring changes in children's academic self-concept. Peer academic reputation and academic self-concept contributed uniquely to the prediction of changes in teacher-rated academic effort and skills over a 1-year period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stability and determinants of sociometric status and friendship choice: A longitudinal perspective.

In a design that combined assessment of short- and long-term stability, 175 boys and 159 girls in the 5th grade were met twice while they were in 5 elementary schools and 3 times after they had entered a single consolidated middle school. At each of these meetings, Ss were asked to nominate 3 same-sex best friends and 3 disliked same-sex peers and to nominate peers for 14 roles in a hypothetical class play. Although there was greater consistency in the Ss' choices of best friends than disliked peers, the stability of acceptance was roughly equal to the stability of rejection. Correction of the test–retest correlations for measurement error indicated that previous studies probably underestimated stability on these measures. Analysis of the association between sociometric measures and social reputation revealed possible causal links between social reputation and subsequent social preference and social impact as assessed by structural equation modeling techniques. No evidence indicated greater consistency of liked and disliked peer choices among girls than among boys, and popularity was only slightly related to consistency in friendship relations. Results indicate that by early adolescence sociometric standing appears to be a relatively stable phenomenon. The need for the assessment of qualitative aspects of friendship relations is stressed. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxious solitude and peer exclusion predict social helplessness, upset affect, and vagal regulation in response to behavioral rejection by a friend.

It was hypothesized that combined individual child vulnerability (anxious solitude) and interpersonal stress (peer exclusion) would predict the strongest responses to experimentally manipulated behavioral peer rejection. Results indicated that in a sample of 3rd graders (N = 160, 59% girls), anxious solitary excluded children displayed more behavioral manifestations of social helplessness before and after behavioral rejection, reported more feelings of rejection in anticipation of and reaction to behavioral rejection, and were observably more upset during behavioral rejection than were normative children. Moreover, affective responses to behavioral rejection mediated the relation between anxious solitary excluded status and behavioral manifestations of social helplessness. Furthermore, anxious solitary excluded children versus anxious solitary children demonstrated excessive suppression of vagal tone and more sustained acceleration in heart rate during the experiment. Results also indicated that affective, social–cognitive, and regulatory processes directly contributed to children’s responses to behavioral rejection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social status in small groups: Individual–group similarity and the social "misfit."

Proposes that social status is a function of both individual and group characteristics and argues that 2 factors are necessary to predict peer popularity—prosocial interaction and person–group similarity. Prosocial behavior, viewed as a prerequisite for high social status, was predicted to be consistently correlated with status across peer groups. The relation between status and other social behaviors such as aggression was predicted to be mediated by the degree of similarity between the individual and the peer group. Two studies were conducted with 217 males (mean age 10 yrs) at a summer program for children with behavioral and social problems. Data from both acceptance and rejection measures of status support the proposed model. This evidence helps to integrate discrepant findings in the sociometric literature and demonstrates the utility of social psychological theories of interpersonal attraction in the study of peer status. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the Independence of Ratings of Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, and Attention Deficits in Children: A Multiple Regression Analysis: Correction to Lahey, Green, and Forehand.

Reports an error in the original article by Benjamin B. Lahey, Kenneth D. Green, and Rex Forehand (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1980, Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 566-574). It was incorrectly stated on page 571 that Loney, Langhorne, and Paternite derived factor scores from the product of all factor loadings and teacher ratings. Instead, they used normalized z scores derived from ratings of only those items that loaded most strongly on each factor. Differences in results between the two studies, therefore, are probably not due to differences in the methods of calculating factor scores. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1980-33426-001.) Teacher ratings, direct observational measures, and peer evaluations were obtained on 109 3rd-grade children. Factor scores on the Conners Teacher Rating Scale were correlated with the following measures: observation of time on task; frequency of teacher interaction; positive and negative peer interactions; peer ratings of acceptance, rejection, and dislike; and 3 measures of academic performance. Arguments are made for combining hyperactivity and conduct problem scales in rating child behavior problems. A factor resembling the attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (inattentive-passive) was found to account for a substantial portion of independent variance in the multiple regression analyses and should, therefore, be considered as a separate rating scale factor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral reputation: A cross-age perspective.

This study examined the measurement of peer perceptions of behavioral reputation within the contexts of elementary, middle, and high school environments (Grades 2-12, N=2,812) through the systematic evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Revised Class Play (A. S. Masten, P. Morison, & D. S. Pellegrini, 1985). Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the data did not fit A. S. Masten et al.'s original 3-factor structure. Cross-loading of items and different patterns of association between subscales across age groups (elementary, middle, and high school) contributed to the overall poor fit. Exploratory factor analyses revealed an alternative 4-factor structure as a more reliable and valid means of assessing behavioral reputation regardless of the age of the peer group sampled. Both convergent and divergent patterns of associations emerged across developmental levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mating sociometer: A regulatory mechanism for mating aspirations.

Two studies (Ns = 80 and 108) tested hypotheses derived from Kirkpatrick and Ellis's (2001) extension and application of sociometer theory to mating aspirations. Experiences of social rejection–acceptance by attractive opposite-sex confederates were experimentally manipulated, and the impact of these manipulations on self-esteem, mating aspirations, and friendship aspirations was assessed. Results indicated that social rejection–acceptance by members of the opposite sex altered mating aspirations; that the causal link between social rejection–acceptance and mating aspirations was mediated by changes in state self-esteem; and that the impact of social rejection–acceptance by members of opposite sex was specific to mating aspirations and did not generalize to levels of aspiration in approaching potential same–sex friendships. This research supports a conceptualization of a domain-specific mating sociometer, which functions to calibrate mating aspirations in response to experiences of romantic rejection and acceptance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Connectedness and autonomy support in parent–child relationships: Links to children's socioemotional orientation and peer relationships.

Connectedness and autonomy support in the parent-child relationship are constructs that emerge from object relations and attachment theories but that overlap with other commonly studied qualities of parent–child relationships to provide a unifying focus for research in this domain. In this study, these constructs were examined in relation to children's relational competence, including socioemotional orientation, friendship, and peer acceptance. Semistructured conversations between mothers and their 5-year-olds (N? =?192) were videotaped at home and rated for (a) connectedness between the members of the dyad and (b) the parent's support for the child's autonomy. Results showed that connectedness was correlated with children's socioemotional orientations, number of mutual friendships, and peer acceptance and that the relation between parent–child connectedness and children's peer relationships was mediated by children's prosocial-empathic orientation. Implications of these findings for theories that link parent–child relationships to the development of relational competence in children are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer rejection in middle school: Subgroup differences in behavior, loneliness, and interpersonal concerns.

Identifies patterns of behavior and emotional response associated with peer rejection in early adolescence. Seventh- and 8th-grade middle-school students (N?=?450) were administered positive and negative sociometric nominations, peer behavioral assessment items, a loneliness and social dissatisfaction questionnaire, and a newly developed interpersonal concerns questionnaire. Results indicated that most rejected students were aggressive or submissive, but it was the combination of aggressiveness or submissiveness with low levels of prosocial behavior that was associated with peer rejection. With regard to students' affective experiences, submissive–rejected students, when compared with average-status students, were found to report higher levels of loneliness and worry about their relations with others. Aggressive–rejected students did not differ on these dimensions from average-status students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood Peer Rejection and Aggression as Predictors of Adolescent Girls' Externalizing and Health Risk Behaviors: A 6-Year Longitudinal Study.

This 6-year longitudinal study examined girls' peer-nominated social preference and aggression in childhood as predictors of self- and parent-reported externalizing symptoms, substance use (i.e.. cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use), and sexual risk behavior in adolescence. Participants were 148 girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who were initially assessed in Grades 4-6 and again in Grades 10-12. Results supported a moderator model, indicating that social preference changed the nature of the association between childhood aggression and adolescent outcomes. When accompanied by peer rejection, aggressive behavior was moderately stable over time and significantly associated with adolescent girls' substance use and sexual risk behavior. However, under conditions of peer acceptance, no significant association between childhood aggression and adolescent outcomes emerged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transactional analysis of the reciprocal links between peer experiences and academic achievement from middle childhood to early adolescence.

This study tested a transactional model of reciprocal influences regarding students' peer experiences (peer acceptance, peer rejection, and friends' academic achievement) and students' academic achievement from middle childhood to early adolescence. This longitudinal model was tested on 452 students (198 girls), mostly Caucasian and French speaking, who were assessed yearly from Grades 2 through 7. Structural equation models revealed that, for boys and for girls, higher academic achievement predicted (a) increases in peer acceptance from Grades 2 through 6, (b) decreases in peer rejection from Grades 2 through 4 (through Grade 5 for girls), and (c) increases in friends' achievement from Grades 4 through 7. Also, rejection predicted decreases in academic achievement from Grades 3 through 5. These results suggest that academic achievement is a good predictor of peer group status in middle childhood and that high-achieving students start selecting each other as friends as they enter early adolescence. These data also suggest that peer rejection in childhood may disrupt future academic achievement. Possible mediating mechanisms, as well as peer selection and influences in the context of social development, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social acceptance and rejection of preschool children with disabilities: A mixed-method analysis.

Eighty children with disabilities enrolled in a nationally distributed set of inclusive preschool programs participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 3.9 years, and 60% were male. The children exhibited a range of disabilities and developmental levels. Using a mixed-method approach, the authors established quantitative criteria for identifying children with disabilities who were socially accepted and socially rejected by their peer group, and qualitative methods revealed themes associated with social participation of each group. Cluster analyses of themes identified 3 clusters associated with social acceptance (e.g., awareness-interest, communication-play, friendship-social skills) and 2 clusters associated with social rejection (e.g., social withdrawal, conflict-aggression). Subsequent cluster analyses of children and matrix analyses illustrated how child social participation was related to superordinate theme clusters and constructs of acceptance and rejection. Socially accepted children tended to have disabilities that were less likely to affect social problem solving and emotional regulation, whereas children who were socially rejected had disabilities that were more likely to affect such skills and developmental capacities. Implications of this research for theory and practice are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Negative peer reactions from the perspective of the reactor.

Conducted 2 studies to examine negative social reactions from the perspective of rejecting peers. The purpose of Study 1 was to test an attributional model of negative peer reactions in which perceptions of responsibility and specific emotions mediate between deviant peer characteristics and negative social responses. The more children perceived atypical classmates to be responsible for their idiosyncrasies, the more anger and less sympathy they reported. Anger increased rejection and decreased social support, whereas sympathy facilitated social support. In Study 2, the effects of responsibility perceptions and affective reactions (annoyance) on social responses were tested with an experimental design. Perceived responsibility influenced liking and support, whereas annoyance affected sympathy, support, and rejection. The results are discussed with respect to intervention programs that would improve children's social acceptance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental correlates of children's peer relations: An empirical test of a tripartite model.

In recognition of the multiple pathways through which family and peer systems are linked, this short-term longitudinal study tested a tripartite model of family-peer relationships. One hundred fifty-nine fourth-grade children (82 boys, 77 girls) and their parents participated in a study of the links between parent behaviors and children's peer relations both concurrently and 1 year later. A multimethod approach--including observations of parent?child interactions, parent report, child report, and teacher and peer ratings--was used to evaluate a tripartite model of family-peer relations. Results indicate that parent?child interaction, parent advice giving, and parental provision of opportunities by both mothers and fathers predict children's social competence and, in turn, social acceptance 1 year later. Suggestions for future research and practical implications are noted, and limitations of the study are acknowledged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peer experiences and social self-perceptions: A sequential model.

This study evaluated a social process model describing how aggression and withdrawal lead to negative social self-perceptions. The model posited both direct (i.e., cognitions associated with withdrawal) and indirect (i.e., mediations of negative peer status and peer experiences) influences. Eight- to 10-year-old children (n?=?793) completed peer assessment measures of aggression, withdrawal, peer status, victimization and affiliations, and self-reports of loneliness, perceived acceptance, and perceived behavior–conduct. As expected, the model was supported for social self-perceptions but not for perceived behavior–conduct. Withdrawn behavior uniquely predicted social self-perceptions. Both negative peer status and peer victimization successively mediated the impact of social behavior on loneliness and perceived acceptance. Classroom affiliations did not mediate social self-perceptions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community violence exposure and children's social adjustment in the school peer group: The mediating roles of emotion regulation and social cognition.

This study reports a cross-sectional investigation of the relation between community violence exposure and peer group social maladjustment in 285 inner-city children in Grades 4–6 (mean age?=?10.3 years). Children completed an inventory assessing exposure to community violence through witnessing and through direct victimization. A peer nomination inventory was then administered to assess social adjustment with peers (aggression, peer rejection, and bullying by peers). In addition, social-cognitive biases and emotion regulation capacities were examined as potential mediators. Analyses indicated that violent victimization was associated with negative social outcomes through the mediation of emotion dysregulation. Witnessed violence was linked only to aggressive behavior. Social information processing, rather than emotion dysregulation, appeared to mediate this association. These results demonstrate that violence exposure is linked to multiple levels of behavioral and social maladjustment and suggest that there are distinct patterns of risk associated with different forms of exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A revised class play method of peer assessment.

Presents a revised version of the class play (RCP) method of peer assessment for children, which was designed to improve the assessment of social competence as well as the psychometric properties of the class play method. The RCP consists of 30 roles, 15 positive and 15 negative, that 612 3rd–6th graders were told to assign to their classmates according to which classmate would play the role best. Ss were also rated by their teachers on the Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale and were administered the Peabody Individual Achievement Test, the Vocabulary and Block Design subtests of the WISC—R, and the Duncan Socioeconomic Index. Three RCP scores were derived based on factor analysis that revealed 3 dimensions: Sociability-Leadership, Aggressive-Disruptive, and Sensitive-Isolated. Data are presented relating the 3 scores, which proved to be reliable and stable at intervals of 6 and 17 mo, to SES, IQ, achievement, and teacher ratings. Positive reputation was associated with other aspects of social and intellectual competence, whereas isolated reputation was linked to difficulties at school. Multiple regression analyses suggested that a pattern of low-positive, high aggressive-disruptive, and high-isolated peer reputation is the least competent. The advantages of multidimensional scoring and analysis of peer reputation are demonstrated by the results. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children’s representations of family relationships, peer information processing, and school adjustment.

This study examined children’s peer information processing as an explanatory mechanism underlying the association between their insecure representations of interparental and parent–child relationships and school adjustment in a sample of 210 first graders. Consistent with emotional security theory (P. T. Davies & E. M. Cummings, 1994), results indicated that children’s insecure representations of the interparental relationship were indirectly related to their academic functioning through association with their negative information processing of stressful peer events. Insecure interparental relationships were specifically linked with negative peer information processing patterns that, in turn, predicted increases in child maladjustment over a 1-year period. These pathways remained robust after taking into account the roles of representations of parent–child relationships, trait measures of child negative affect, and socioeconomic characteristics as predictors in the analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)