Peer Sociometric Status Research Articles

Влияние детско-родительских отношений на социометрический статус старшеклассников в группе сверстников

The investigations of psychological problems of family relations and their impact on the child and adolescent peer relationship are especially important for high school students who are on the verge of adulthood. The article presents the overview of the Russian and foreign publications, and the results of the empirical study of parent-child relationship impact on the peer sociometric status of high school students. The empirical study involved 106 participants: 53 tenth grade students aged 15 to 16 (M=15,8), including 24 girls and 29 boys, and their mothers (N=53) aged 37 to 43 years old (M=40,4). Methods used: sociometric test (J. Moreno); “Adolescents about Parents Questionnaire” (ADOR/POR); questionnaire for parents “Analysis of family relationships” (AFR). The results obtained allow us to state that high school students with the high sociometric status are less likely to encounter manifestations of directiveness, hostility, and distancing from their parents. It is noted that the low sociometric status of students is largely associated with such disharmony of parenting styles as hypoprotection and abuse.

Peer Sociometric Status and Personality Development from Middle Childhood to Preadolescence

Sociometric status, the regard that other group members confer to an individual, is one of the most ubiquitous and behaviourally relevant attributes assigned to the person by the social environment. Despite this, its contribution to personality development has received little attention. The present three–wave longitudinal study, spanning the age range 7–13 years ( n = 1222), sought to fill this gap by examining the transactional pathways between peer sociometric status (measured by peer nominations) and Five–Factor personality traits (measured by self–ratings and parent and teacher ratings). Sociometric status prospectively predicted the development of extraversion. By contrast, agreeableness and neuroticism prospectively predicted the development of sociometric status. Furthermore, individual–level stability in extraversion was associated with individual–level stability in sociometric status. The results were robust across different sources of personality ratings. We argue that peer sociometric status in the school classroom is the type of environmental effect that has potential to explain personality development. Because of its stability, broadness, and possible impact across a variety of personality processes, sociometric status can both repetitiously and simultaneously influence the network of multiple inter–correlated micro–level personality processes, potentially leading to a new network equilibrium that manifests in changes at the level of the broad personality trait. © 2019 European Association of Personality Psychology

Elementary School Students’ Prosocial Experiences in South Korea: A Case Study

This case study demonstrates how elementary school students’ selective prosocial responding towards their peers is associated with the targets’ different peer sociometric status in the classroom. Participants include 23 fourth graders and their teacher in a private elementary school in Seoul, South Korea. The findings of this study include: 1) Students were selectively prosocial toward their peers, based on the targets’ peer acceptance and popularity; 2) The group norms associated with the criteria of peer acceptance and popularity seemed to be related to liking of liked individuals; and 3) Being friendly and comforting was commonly enacted by the students in the classroom, even toward disliked individuals; however, giving and instrumental helping was more frequent with popular targets than with disliked ones. The findings of the study indicate that students’ prosocial experiences are shaped by their selective choice of behavior based on in-group-out-group distinctions.

Correlates of sociometric status in Russian preschoolers: Aggression, victimization, and sociability

Few studies have assessed behavioral correlates of preschool children's peer sociometric status in cultures outside North America. This study focuses on 221 Russian preschoolers (108 boys, 113 girls). Correlates included physical and relational forms of aggression/victimization and sociable behavior. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) established that study instruments originally developed with U.S. preschoolers worked well in Russia. Findings in regard to aggression, sociability, and victimization were generally consistent with previous research with American and Italian preschoolers, particularly in regard to controversial status children. Our findings further challenge the notion that controversial children are consistently savvy in their social interactions. They and rejected children were most likely to be physically and relationally victimized by their peers.

The role of emotion awareness and mood: Somatic complaints and social adjustment in late childhood

Emotion awareness is a key concept related to different child adjustment outcomes. This relationship, influenced by mood, has been found in the preadolescent and adolescent population for somatic complaints. However, little is known in the case of younger children and when other adjustment outcomes are included. The objective of this work is to analyze the contribution of emotion awareness and mood upon different adjustment outcomes (somatic complaints, maladjustment, and peer sociometric status), in children aged 8–12 years old. Self-reported questionnaires and peer-nomination scales were administered to 1423 children (mean age = 9.8 years old). Results support the influence of emotion awareness reinforced by mood, not only upon somatic complaints, but also upon new indicators of personal and social maladjustment, within an age bracket that has not been considered previously. These results stress the importance of emotional abilities and the corresponding affective moods in children’s daily life.

Italian Preschoolers' Peer‐status Linkages with Sociability and Subtypes of Aggression and Victimization

AbstractLittle is known about the behavior of preschool children belonging to peer sociometric status groups (popular, average, rejected, neglected, and controversial) in cultural contexts outside North America. This study examined the social interactions of Italian preschoolers. The sample consisted of 266 Italian preschoolers (mean age of 64 months). Physical and relational subtypes of aggression and victimization, as well as sociable behavior, were measured by peer nominations and teacher ratings. Peer nominations of acceptance and rejection (like and dislike nominations) were also collected in order to form the sociometric status groups. Results of confirmatory factor analyses showed that items developed with US preschoolers appeared to work fairly well in identifying behavioral constructs in Italian preschoolers. Findings generally supported previous research with American preschoolers. Sociometrically popular children were highest in sociability, and lowest in physical and relational aggression and victimization. The opposite pattern emerged for rejected status children. Neglected status children were generally not distinguished from average status children. Results also suggested that the enactment of relational aggression promotes greater social impact for some Italian children (controversial children), and this aggression also invites more conflict and victimization. However, the sociability of controversial children appears to buffer them from rejected group status.

Relational and Physical Aggression of Preschool-Age Children: Peer Status Linkages Across Informants

Little is known concerning how subtypes of aggression (relational and physical) might be differentially related to preschool-age children's classification in peer sociometric status groups (popular, average, rejected, neglected, and controversial). Furthermore, associations between aggression and sociometric status might vary according to the assessment tools utilized (e.g., peer report vs. teacher report). In this study, relational and physical aggression as well as sociable behavior of preschool-age children was assessed using peer reports and teacher reports. Peer nominations of acceptance and rejection (like and dislike nominations) were also collected and used to form sociometric status groups. Findings indicate that the behavioral differences between sociometric status group categories, obtained with older samples in previous research, is already evident as early as preschool. Furthermore, relational aggression is associated with controversial sociometric status in this age group (based on peer reports). These findings complement an emerging body of research indicating that the practice of relational aggression may be associated with greater peer status for some children.

Parent-Reported Problem Behavior Among Children With Sensory Disabilities Attending Elementary Regular Schools

Parent-reported problem behaviors of 94 children with visual and auditory disabilities, attending elementary regular schools, were compared with problems reported in a general population sample of nondisabled children. Both samples were matched by means of a pairwise matching procedure, taking into account age and sex. Problem behavior was measured by Achenbach’s (1991) CBCL (Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 Profile, University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry, Burlington, VT). No significant main effects of type, degree, and nature of disability were found on the CBCL Total Problems scale, nor on the syndrome scales. In general, children with sensory disabilities attending elementary regular schools did not show more problems in comparison to nondisabled children. Merely on the Social Problems scale there was a significant difference between both samples, the children with sensory disabilities getting higher scores than their nondisabled peers. Further, children with sensory disabilities ran considerable risks of developing deviant scores on the Social Problems and the Thought Problems syndromes, the odds being respectively 3.2 and 5.2 times higher than in the general population sample. To optimize the benefits from placement in integrated classrooms for children with sensory disabilities, school counselors and teachers should not only focus on the academic achievements of these children, but also on their social skills and peer sociometric status.

The Social Behaviors and Peer Expectation of Girls With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Comparison Girls

Investigated self-described social goals, self-generated actions, and perceived peer responses to hypothetical vignettes, as well as observed social behavior and peer sociometric status, in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of girls with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; n = 49) and comparison girls (n = 30). Although we found no differences between the social goals of girls with ADHD and comparison participants, girls with ADHD generated higher rates of aggressive responses to the hypothetical vignettes than did comparison girls, whereas comparison girls generated a larger number of negotiating behaviors than did the ADHD sample. The ADHD participants anticipated negative peer responses, whereas comparison girls predicted positive reactions from peers. Importantly, these perceived peer responses showed associations with girls' naturalistic social behaviors and peer sociometric status. Several pertinent predictions held with control of ADHD versus comparison status. Social cognitions appear to be relevant in the investigation of ADHD in girls.

Adolescents’ Perceptions and Standards of Their Relationships with Their Parents as a Function of Sociometric Status

This study examined adolescents' cognitions of their relationships with their parents as a function of sociometric status. The adolescents' subjective views of their relationships with their mothers and fathers were assessed with respect to seven relationship qualities (general warmth, displays of warmth, intimate self‐disclosure, parental monitoring, conflict, instrumental aid, and provisions of autonomy) across two cognition types: perceptions (beliefs about “how things are”) and standards (beliefs about “how things should be”). The participants were sixth‐, eighth‐, tenth‐, and twelfth‐grade students. Peer sociometric status was determined based on unlimited peer nominations completed by 462 participants. The 190 adolescents classified as average, popular, or rejected were included in the analyses. Perceptions and standards were shown to be distinct but related cognitions. Rejected adolescents differed from their more accepted peers in their perceptions of relationships with both mothers and fathers, specifically with regard to warmth from both parents and autonomy from mothers. Rejected adolescents also reported lower standards for parental monitoring and a range of support qualities from both parents. In addition, rejected adolescents' reports demonstrated greater perception‐standard discrepancies, indicating unmet standards. Overall, sociometric status group differences were more pronounced and consistent for standards than for perceptions, and most status group differences occurred primarily among older adolescents. Findings are discussed in terms of social cognitive patterns associated with peer rejection and developmental changes in family–peer linkages across adolescence.

Sociometric status of child inpatients in clinical and normative peer groups: is peer status in a clinical setting a useful measure of adjustment?

This research examined whether peer sociometric status, a powerful indicator of social maladjustment and psychological risk in normative peer groups, is a meaningful indicator of adjustment when assessed in clinical settings. In Study 1, 92 child psychiatric inpatients participated in unit-based sociometric assessments. Depression, anxiety, hopelessness, self-esteem, and behavioral disturbance were also assessed. Overall, inpatient peer status was related to concurrent adjustment and contributed to increased maladjustment in the hospital setting over time. Study 2 evaluated the extent to which inpatient peer status is related to more traditional assessments of peer status using a smaller sample. Children's social status on the unit with inpatient peers was compared to their social status at school with school peers at the time of admission. Inpatient peer status was significantly related to school peer status and to teacher-rated adjustment in school. The value of collecting peer sociometric data in treatment settings as an indicator of concurrent adjustment and as a window into adjustment in other contexts is discussed.

Emotional expressiveness during peer conflicts: a predictor of social maladjustment among high-risk preschoolers.

Preschool boys' emotional displays during conflicts with mixed-sex peers were related to individual differences in peer sociometric status and teacher ratings of disruptive behavior. Participants were 60 4- to 5-year old boys from low-income families who were videotaped with a small group of classmates in a Head Start preschool classroom. Conflicts were identified and emotional displays were coded from videotape. Results indicated that conflicts were more negative in emotional tone at the end than at the beginning of the year. Furthermore, children tended to mirror each others' emotional displays at the end but not the beginning of the preschool year. In addition, gleeful taunting, a form of emotional aggression, more strongly predicted negative peer nominations and teacher ratings than anger, suggesting that anger may be a more socially accepted form of emotional expression during conflicts among preschool-age children. Implications and directions for future research and interventions are discussed.

Peer relationships in middle childhood and adolescence

Positive peer relationships and prosocial behaviour is known to emerge as major correlates of a positive status at each age. On the contrary, poor peer relationships are a vali d indicator of concurrent and subsequent. Adjustment problems. In this work, peer sociometric status (Coie, et al., 1983), Revised Class Play (Masten, et al., 1985) and teacher ratings of school achievement were obtained for 483 third-through seventh-grade children and adolescents, attending elementary and secondary schools. As we hypothesized, the correlations of positive status with the Sociability-Leadership factor and with school achievement were strongly positive. The correlations of positive status with the Aggressive-Disruptive factor were negative, and the strength of the relation varied with the age. The correlations of positive peer status with Sensitivity-lsolation factor increases with age. Our data provide support for the hypothesis about the age differences in process variables. School achievement was shown to play a more important role in peer acceptance in middle childhood than in adolescence. Prosocial behaviour was proved to be an important factor of high positive social status in middle childhood, while the aggressive behaviour was shown to influence the development of negative social status (and further adjustment problems) in adolescence. The relationships of negative status with isolated behaviour increased dramatically in adolescence, suggesting greater attention by peers to asocial and over-emotional behaviour.

Children's awareness of which peers like them and which peers dislike them

AbstractThe present research examined children's awareness of the specific same‐sex peers who like or dislike them. Awareness was evaluated in relation to children's peer sociometric status. All children in grades one through six provided same‐sex peer sociometric nominations and same‐sex peer sociometric ratings to determine their sociometric status. In addition, each child indicated the nominations and ratings they believed they received from same‐sex peers. Children's sociometric status was associated with their awareness of liking and disliking from peers. Rejected status children were the least accurate in their judgments of who like them and popular status children were the least accurate in their judgments of who disliked them. These findings support and extend prior research documenting that rejected status children a) demonstrate a lack of awareness of their social competence, yet b) report more loneliness than children in other status groups.

Childhood peer rejection, aggression, withdrawal, and perceived competence as predictors of self-reported behavior problems in preadolescence

Childhood peer rejection, aggression, withdrawal, and perceived competence were compared as predictors of self-reported behavior problems. Peer sociometric status (Coie, Dodge, and Coppotelli, 1982), teacher ratings of behavior problems (Lorion, Cowen, & Caldwell, 1975), and perceived competence ratings (Harter, 1982) were obtained for 613 second- through fourth-grade children. Two years later, these students completed a modified version of the Youth Self-Report from (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1987). Rejected children and neglected girls were more likely to have a self-reported nonspecific negative outcome than others. Neglected girls were at heightened risk for depression. A varied set of predictors obtained from different informants emerged for each sex for each of the specific self-reported outcomes of depression, unpopularity, delinquency, aggression, and self-destructive/identity problems. Results are discussed in terms of future directions for longitudinal research on the consequences of poor peer relationships in childhood.

Behavioral subtypes of low-achieving children: Differences in school social adjustment

The purpose of this research was to identify possible behavioral subtypes of low- achieving elementary school children and to examine the extent to which these children experience difficulties in their peer relationships in school. Thirty-three low- achieving second- through fifth-grade students and a matched sample of average- achieving children were identified. A cluster analysis was conducted using peer assessment measures of cooperative, disruptive, aggressive, and shy behavior. Results revealed two distinct subtypes of low-achieving children, an aggressive-disruptive group and a nonaggressive but somewhat shy group. Low-achieving, aggressive-disruptive children were less socially accepted and more rejected than average-achieving children. These children were also rated by teachers as having more difficulty handling problematic social situations than either average-achieving children or low-achieving, nonaggressive children. Low-achieving, nonaggressive children did not differ from average-achieving children in peer sociometric status or in their ability to handle social problem situations. Implications for social skills intervention are discussed.

Behavioral Correlates of Preschool Sociometric Status and the Prediction of Teacher Ratings of Behavior in Kindergarten

Examined longitudinally the relations among measures of peer sociometric status and social behavior in preschool and teacher ratings in kindergarten for a group of children originally selected from three diverse day-care settings. The results demonstrated that social preference and alternative status were significantly related to social behavior and were predictive of teacher ratings obtained during kindergarten. Social behavior also strongly predicted kindergarten teacher ratings.

The relationship between social—cognitive skills and peer sociometric status

The relationships between affective perspective taking, decoding of emotion from facial expression, interpersonal problem solving and peer sociometric status were investigated with 60 kindergarten children aged 3–5 years. Significant, positive correlations were found between affective perspective taking, decoding of facial expression and positive peer nominations. Interpersonal problem‐solving ability however, as measured by number of alternative responses to hypothetical situations, was not found to be a significant correlate of positive or negative peer nominations. When non‐cognitive variables were considered in addition to social—cognitive variables in a fixed‐order, multiple regression analysis, physical attractiveness was found to contribute significantly along with affective perspective taking in the prediction of positive peer nominations. The only variable to predict negative peer nominations was the number of behaviour problems reported by care staff. Subsequent analyses indicated that acting out behaviours were the most important correlate of negative peer status. The implications of the findings for intervention programmes with children who experience poor peer relationships are discussed.

Training Social Perception Skills with Primary School Children: A Cautionary Note

Forty-eight children from grades 3 to 6 of two inner city primary schools were selected on the basis of poor performance on a social perception test. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: social perception training (SPT); attention placebo control (APC; drama activities) or a no treatment control (NTC; assessment only). The SPT and APC groups participated in nine twice weekly sessions over a five week period. Children receiving SPT did not show a significantly greater improvement in social perception skills than either of the control conditions. There was also no significant effect of SPT on certain measures of behavioral functioning which have previously been associated with social perception skill, namely peer sociometric status, Walker Problem Behaviour Checklist or Childrens' Depression Inventory. The findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research.

Athletic Skill and Social Status in Children

A total of 138 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 13 were given a battery of athletic skill tests. Peer sociometric status ratings were also obtained for every child. Correlational analyses revealed that social status was significantly correlated with the majority of athletic skill measures. The implications of these findings for social skills training with socially isolated children are discussed.