The Moderating Role of Clique Hierarchical Organization on Resource Control by Central Clique Members.

Abstract

Accessing resources in peer groups is essential for youth's survival and reproduction. To date, little is known about the behavioral strategies used by socially prominent preadolescent and early adolescent resource controllers in peer cliques, groups of individuals who hang out together during free time at school. Theory suggests that clique hierarchical organization should influence forceful resource control behavior of central (prominent) clique members, but evidence is mixed. This study examined the effects of clique hierarchical organization on forceful behavior used by central clique members to obtain a special toy during a 5-minute resource contest with clique-mates. Participants were 696 children (59.91% girls) ranging from 9 to 14 years (Mage = 11.59) in 147 cliques. Resource control, and prosocial, coercive, and bistrategic (hybrid prosocial and coercive) bids were recorded. Neither centrality nor hierarchy predicted resource control bid use, but centrality and bistrategic bids predicted resource control. Clique stratification (status differences among members) but not clique structure (shape of hierarchy) moderated the outcome of central clique members' bistrategic bids. Bistrategic bids advantaged central members of low-stratified but not highly stratified cliques, indicating that greater power is needed for resource control in cliques with numerous central members. However, high clique stratification did not quell the need for forceful behavior by central (or other) clique members. These findings suggest that for prominent preadolescent and early adolescent clique members, material resource control is the product of both mitigated force and acquiescence by clique-mates.