How to Dax? Preschool Children's Prosocial Behavior, But Not Their Social Norm Enforcement Relates to Their Peer Status.

Markus Paulus

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01779

Abstract

The current study examined correlates of preschool children’s (n = 82) peer status. In particular, we assessed children’s prosocial behavior, social problem behavior, norm enforcement, language abilities, and temperament. Children’s prosocial behavior, pragmatic language abilities, and gender correlated with peer status. A regression analysis revealed that prosocial behavior and gender were independent predictors. There was some evidence for a mediation effect: The link between pragmatic language and peer status was mediated by prosocial behavior. Children’s norm enforcement was not related to peer status, neither was it related to any other factor such as temperament or language. Overall, the study supports approaches claiming that prosocial behavior plays a role in children’s social functioning and are in line with social-interactionist accounts to social and social-cognitive development.

Highlights

Children’s status among their peers plays an important role in their social development
Research has provided evidence that the propensity to engage in prosocial behavior is positively related to children’s peer status (e.g., Denham et al, 1990; Warden and Mackinnon, 2003; Caputi et al, 2012), whereas social problem behavior is negatively linked to peer status (e.g., Slaughter et al, 2002; Keane and Calkins, 2004)
Our results demonstrate that children’s propensity to engage in prosocial behavior and their gender were related to higher peer status with girls being more popular than boys and prosocial children being more popular than less prosocial children

Summary

Introduction

Children’s status among their peers plays an important role in their social development. Research has provided evidence that the propensity to engage in prosocial behavior (that is, behavior benefitting another person without receiving an immediate pay-off; Paulus, 2014) is positively related to children’s peer status (e.g., Denham et al, 1990; Warden and Mackinnon, 2003; Caputi et al, 2012), whereas social problem behavior (such as aggression) is negatively linked to peer status (e.g., Slaughter et al, 2002; Keane and Calkins, 2004). Several studies have suggested relations between children’s temperamental characteristics (that is, individual differences between persons in reactivity, emotionality, and behavioral styles) and their peer status (Eisenberg et al, 1993, 1995; Szewczyk-Sokolowski et al, 2005; Dougherty, 2006; Stright et al, 2008).

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