A. Michele Lease

Children's Social Constructions of Popularity

Childrens social constructions of popularity were assessed with perceived popularity nominations (i.e., ‘Who are the most [least] popular students?’) in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Correlational and group-difference analyses demonstrated that perceived popularity is moderately and positively related to sociometric popularity and social dominance. Perceived popular girls were viewed as prosocial, bright, and in possession of the expressive equipment of popularity (i.e., attractiveness and spending power); perceived popular girls who were not well-liked (i.e., sociometrically popular) had these characteristics as well but also were above-average (>.5 SD) on social aggression and social visibility (i.e., cool and athletic). Perceived popular boys were reported to be socially visible (i.e., cool and athletic) and with low levels of social withdrawal; perceived popular boys who were not well-liked had these characteristics but also were reported to be socially aggressive, attractive, and to possess spending power. Finally, group comparisons revealed that perceived popularity, either alone or in combination with sociometric popularity, is accompanied by more social prerogatives (i.e., admiration, leadership, social control) than sociometric popularity alone. It was argued that being perceived as popular is a key determinant of social power in peer groups of older elementary school students.

Dimensions of Social Status in Preadolescent Peer Groups: Likability, Perceived Popularity, and Social Dominance

A multidimensional, interdisciplinary model of social status was developed and examined in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Participants were clustered into seven subtypes (i.e., High Status, Perceived Popular/Dominant, Well-Liked/Dominant, Average, Low Dominant/Unpopular, Disliked, and Low Status) based on the dimensions of likability, perceived popularity, and social dominance emphasized, respectively, by psychologists working within the sociometric tradition, sociologists of education, and ethologists. The meaningfulness of the cluster solution was supported by cluster differences on peer-reported social prerogatives of status (e.g., admiration, social control, leadership) and self-reported social characteristics. Furthermore, each cluster had a distinct behavioral profile. It was argued that a broader, multidisciplinary conceptualization of social status should lead to a better understanding of the complex dynamics present in childrens peer groups in middle childhood as well as the tools preadolescents need to successfully navigate the peer system.

A Self-Report Typology of Behavioral Adjustment for Young Children

A large, national U.S. sample of children rated their own behavior and emotions using the Self-Report of Personality-Child version (SRP-C) of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (C. R. Reynolds & R. W. Kamphaus, 1992). Cluster analysis was used to group 4,981 self-reports (SRP-C) of children between the ages of 8 and 11 years. Theoretical and empirical considerations were used to identify a 10-cluster solution. Internal validation procedures revealed that the 10-cluster solution was well replicated by independently classifying 2 large subsamples of participants. External validation evidence revealed that only 2 of the 10 clusters could be differentiated by parent and teacher ratings of behavior problems. Peer ratings of social status and behavior, however, proved far better than adult ratings at differentiating the clusters. These findings suggest that the realm of intraindividual adjustment is not well understood by parents and teachers of these same children.

Position in the Peer Group's Perceived Organizational Structure: Relation to Social Status and Friendship

Position in the perceived peer group organization was assessed using a multidimensional scaling strategy and was compared with measures of social status and mutual friendship in a sample of 404 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Perceived organization position was correlated significantly to social preference, like-most nominations, and like-least nominations but not to social impact. Furthermore, peer group members who were marginal in the perceived structure were more likely to have a rejected status and to be friendless, whereas those in a central position were more likely to be popular and have at least one friend. Most rejected students, however, were not marginal in the perceived structure. Marginal-rejected group members, compared with nonmarginal-rejected individuals, had more negative scores on social status measures. It was hypothesized that studying the overlap between position in the group’s perceived organization and social status might be useful for discriminating types of rejected children and adolescents.

Assessing Children’s Representations of their Peer Group Using a Multidimensional Scaling Technique

The goal of this research was to examine whether multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) is a potentially reliable and valid method for assessing children’s perceptions of their peer group. A total of 162 fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in two studies. MDS-derived depictions of the peer group were generated based on children’s unconstrained (i.e., implicit) similarity judgments of same-sex dyads in their peer group. Overall, fit indices indicated that two-dimensional MDS solutions accounted for most of the variability in group members’ similarity ratings, demonstrating considerable agreement between group members’ implicit representations of their peer group. Furthermore, classroom teachers’ perceptions of peer group organization were highly similar to their students’ perceptions. Finally, the social network pattern in the peer group was related consistently to the organization of peer group members in the MDS similarity space; additional variance in the MDS space was accounted for by behavioral and nonbehavioral characteristics, most notably prosocial behavior. The results of this two-part study show the promise of using MDS methods to assess, and thus investigate, children’s perceptions of their peer group’s organizational structure. It was argued that implicit approaches to understanding children’s perceptions of their peer group would be a useful addition to findings derived from the explicit methods typically employed in peer relations research.

Distance from Peers in the Group's Perceived Organizational Structure: Relation to Individual Characteristics

The relation between perceived dissimilarity to peers, assessed with replicated multidimensional scaling (RMDS), and a host of peer-reported characteristics was examined with data collected from 478 students from 26 fourth-grade through sixth-grade classrooms. Three hypotheses as to why a student might be perceived as dissimilar to peers were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived dissimilarity was related positively to perceptions that a student was odd, socially excluded and withdrawn, bullying, and inattentive and negatively with being fun to hang around. Furthermore, peer-rejected students who were on the periphery of their groups RMDS space were behaviorally discriminable (i.e., more odd, inattentive, excluded, and shy or anxious) from peer-rejected students located more proximally to peers. It was argued that in early adolescence, when learning to fit in with peers is an important task, being perceived as dissimilar to others and on the periphery of the groups organizational structure appears to symbolize a failure to master that critical developmental task.

Children’s Social Identification With a Friendship Group: A Moderating Effect on Intent to Conform to Norms

This study examined third- through fifth-grade children’s social identification (i.e., positive affects and emotions) with their friendship group as a process by which friendship group norms might affect children’s behaviors. A confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional model of social identification. Reciprocated friendship group nomination was positively associated with social identification; fifth graders reported a higher level of social identification than third graders. Sex and perceived popularity were not related to social identification. The authors hypothesized that the effect of friendship group norms on children’s intent to conform to those norms would be greater when they strongly identify with their group. This hypothesis was supported with regard to trend and misbehavior norms but not academic norms.

Perceived influence of close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers Reputational or personal influence?

This study examined two types of influence (reputational and personal) children perceive from different sources (i.e., close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers). Participants included 455 third through fifth grade students. A quadratic assignment procedure was used wherein children’s peer nominations of the source of influence were correlated with their nominations of the type of influence. Findings suggested that children perceive personal influence more so than reputational influence from close friends and well-liked peers. In contrast, children perceive reputational influence more so than personal influence from popular peers. The degree to which children perceive personal influence from the three sources differed by behavioral domains (i.e., academic and trend-following behaviors). Implications for peer influence research and intervention are discussed.

Exploring Ethnic Variation in Preadolescent Aggressive Girls' Social, Psychological, and Academic Functioning.

The authors examined whether the adjustment patterns of socially and overtly aggressive preadolescent girls, ages 9 to 11 years, from rural communities differed by ethnicity. Students were administered a series of questionnaires to assess the degree to which girls engaged in various forms of aggression and to assess aggressive girls’ social, psychological, and academic functioning. Four clusters of girls—nonaggressive, socially aggressive, and moderate and high mixed aggressive—were identified with cluster analysis based on cross-gendered peer nominations of social and overt aggression. Results indicated that ethnic variation exists in aggressive and nonaggressive girls’ attitudes toward school and satisfaction with their friendships, but no ethnic differences were found in aggressive girls’ social adjustment. Socially aggressive and nonaggressive African American girls endorsed greater feelings of disengagement from school than socially aggressive and nonaggressive European American girls. No ethnic differences were found in aggressive girls’ endorsement of internalizing symptoms. However, both nonaggressive and socially aggressive African American girls reported greater dissatisfaction with their interpersonal relationships than nonaggressive and socially aggressive European American girls.