Andrew F. Newcomb

Children's peer relations : a meta-analytic review of popular, rejected, neglected, controversial, and average sociometric status

Two-dimensional sociometric models have had a critical role in the investigation of childrens peer relations in the past decade. In a meta-analysis, fitting categorical models (Hedges, 1982), sociometric group differences on behavioral and information source typologies were assessed. The broad-band behavioral analysis showed that popular childrens array of competencies makes them likely recipients of positive peer nominations, whereas high levels of aggression and withdrawal and low levels of sociability and cognitive abilities are associated with rejected peer status. A consistent profile marked by less sociability and aggression emerged for neglected status. Controversial children had higher aggressive behavior than rejected children but compensated for it with significantly better cognitive and social abilities. The moderator effects of narrow-band behavioral categories and information source were also examined.

A longitudinal study of the utility of social preference and social impact sociometric classification schemes

The stability of standard score and probability method sociometric group assignments was examined over a 2-year period with an initial group of 334 preadolescents. The popular, neglected, and controversial sociometric groups evidenced low stability of group membership over intervals of approximately 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months; the rejected group evidenced slightly higher short-term stability. These findings of limited stability were attributed to measurement error and to the failure of both classification systems to identify groups with homogeneous social reputation profiles. Social role scores contributed to the prediction of stable group membership in the rejected and controversial classification, although these scores added little to the prediction of stable popular and neglected group membership. Stability over short intervals could be used to enhance the prediction of stability over longer periods; however, this procedure resulted in the classification of numerous false positives and false negatives. The instability of sociometric group assignments completed with the standard score and probability methods indicates that researchers should be cautious about the use of classifications based on only one data collection and that the selection of children for both clinical intervention and further nomothetic research may require alternative assessment procedures.

Using Rating Scale and Nomination Techniques to Measure Friendship and Popularity

The associations between measures of friendship and popularity derived from nomination and rating scales procedures were studied with a sample of school-age and early adolescent boys and girls. Confirmatory factor analyses and comparisons of the correlations among these measures showed that each of these techniques can provide parallel measures of popularity (i.e. sociometric preference) and friendship (i.e. whether the child is participating in a mutual friendship). These findings are discussed in regard to measurement issues in the study of friendship and popularity.

Context and Companion's Behavior as Determinants of Cooperation and Competition in School-Age Children.

Abstract Information about the social context and a companions actions were studied as determinants of cooperation and competition in middle childhood. In Experiment 1, first-, third-, and fifth-grade children were told that they would play a board game with another same-age, same-sex child (actually a bogus companion). The experimenters instructions established shared rewards or winner-take-all as outcome conditions. Preprogrammed responses—100% cooperative or 100% competitive—provided information about the companions actions. Results revealed that the companions responses alone determined cooperation and competition among the first graders. Third graders used both types of information. Fifth graders, however, demonstrated a bias to respond cooperatively whenever a cooperative cue was present. In Experiment 2, first-grade subjects were given extra rehearsal of the game strategies, a scorekeeping procedure for use during the game, or a combination of the two. Results indicated that, under these conditions, younger subjects were able to use the instructions about reward distribution as well as the companions actions in guiding their social behavior.

Collaborative Learning in an Introduction to Psychological science Laboratory: Undergraduate Teaching Fellows Teach to Learn

In this article, we describe the laboratory component of an Introduction to Psychological Science course and a teaching fellows program in which undergraduates direct these laboratory experiences. We present the goals of the laboratory class and describe its curriculum, and we examine the goals and operations of the teaching fellows program. Furthermore, we consider the outcomes of this experience for introductory students and teaching fellows, and we examine the implications of the teaching fellows program for quality undergraduate education.

A Model for Curriculum Evaluation and Revision in Undergraduate Psychology Programs

This article outlines the response of the psychology department at a small liberal arts university to the need for curricular revision. A three-phase process began with the identification of the logic for establishing the new curriculum. Next, a structural model for a new curriculum was developed from information obtained by studying the institutional expectations/constraints, the ideal knowledge/skill base generated by interviewing former students and officials in various postgraduation settings, and the curricula of peer institutions. Four developmental features in the model were delineated and unified by emphasizing method of inquiry as the essential objective for the psychology major. This structural model was then used to specify a hierarchical set of course groups. Implementation of the model is also discussed.

The Association between Peer Experiences and Identity Formation in Early Adolescence

Sixth grade boys and girls (N = 315) were asked to complete the Perceived Competence Scale for Children and a sociometric questionnaire in an investigation of the multidimensional nature of self-concept and the association between identity formation and social relations among early adolescents. Perceptions of general self-worth were found to be related to perception of social, physical, and cognitive competence. The strongest relationship was observed between perceived social competence and general self-worth with the strength of this association being significantly greater among boys than girls. Perceived social competence was more strongly related to perceived physical competence among boys than girls whereas social acceptance and perceived social competence were more strongly related among girls than boys. Overall, however, the degree of association between perceived competence and sociometric measures was rather small. The observed sex differences were consistent with previous theoretical proposals and empirical investigations indicating that the association between intimacy and identity may be mediated by gender and these findings indicate that the arenas for studying identity acquisition may be different for boys and girls.

Student Projects Embracing New Computer Technologies: Opportunities for Student Scholarship on the World Wide Web

In this article, we demonstrate how faculty can integrate World Wide Web projects into course assignments, We explore: (a) implementation of electronic term papers (ETP), (b) pedagogical objectives of the assignment, (c) educational benefits of the ETP, (d) an exemplar ETP, (e) grading of ETPs, (f) resource and copyright issues, and (g) student evaluations of the approach. Our goal is to demonstrate how students and faculty can join together to use new technologies in a collaborative fashion that results in student self-discovery and self-construction of knowledge.

The initial social encounters of high and low social effectiveness school-aged children

The initial social encounters of 30 pairs of unacquainted high/high, high/low, and low/low popularity status third- and fourth-grade boys and girls were observed in an analogue free-play setting. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the dyads did not differ according to pairing on the exchange of global play information. The low/low popularity dyads, as compared to the high/high and the high/low popularity dyads, exchanged significantly less personal information as indexed by both the patterns and the content of personal information exchange. Analyses revealed no differences between the high/high and high/low dyads on the patterns and content of personal information exchange. However, as compared to the high/high dyads, the high/low dyads and the low/low dyads were less likely to evidence a pattern of initial steps in their social encounters that began with greeting and introduction and that was followed by the exchange of play information. The observations of the high/high dyads were considered as a model for developing social skills training programs designed to facilitate acquaintanceship development, and the need for further research on the processes underlying peer pairing and the components of social skillfulness was discussed.