Antonius H. N. Cillessen

Children's perceptions of popular and unpopular peers: a multimethod assessment.

Childrens perceptions of popular and unpopular peers were examined in 2 studies. Study 1 examined the degree to which 4th-8th-grade boys and girls (N = 408) nominated the same peers for multiple criteria. Children viewed liked others as prosocial and disliked others as antisocial but associated perceived popularity with both prosocial and antisocial behavior. In Study 2, a subset of the children from Study 1 (N = 92) described what makes boys and girls popular or unpopular. Children described popular peers as attractive with frequent peer interactions, and unpopular peers as unattractive, deviant, incompetent, and socially isolated. In both studies, childrens perceptions varied as a function of the gender, age, and ethnicity of the participants.

Social-Cognitive and Behavioral Correlates of Aggression and Victimization in Boys' Play Groups

A contrived play group procedure was utilized to examine the behavioral and social-cognitive correlates of reactive aggression, proactive aggression, and victimization via peers. Eleven play groups, each of which consisted of six familiar African-American 8-year-old boys, met for 45-min sessions on five consecutive days. Social-cognitive interviews were conducted following the second and fourth sessions. Play group interactions were videotaped and examined by trained observers. High rates of proactive aggression were associated with positive outcome expectancies for aggression/assertion, frequent displays of assertive social behavior, and low rates of submissive behavior. Reactive aggression was associated with hostile attributional tendencies and frequent victimization by peers. Victimization was associated with submissive behavior, hostile attributional bias, reactive aggression, and negative outcome expectations for aggression/assertion. These results demonstrate that there is a theoretically coherent and empirically distinct set of correlates associated with each of the examined aggression subtypes, and with victimization by peers.

Interactive Effects of the Serotonin Transporter 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism and Stressful Life Events on College Student Drinking and Drug Use

BACKGROUND A common functional polymorphism, 5-HTTLPR, in the serotonin transporter gene has been associated with heavy drinking in college students. We examined this polymorphism as it interacted with negative life events to predict drinking and drug use in college students. METHODS Daily reports of drinking and drug use obtained using a daily web-based survey were combined with self-reports of past-year negative life events and 5-HTTLPR genotypes in a regression analysis of alcohol and nonprescribed drug use in a sample of 295 college students. RESULTS Genotype and negative life events significantly interacted in relation to drinking and drug use outcomes. Individuals homozygous for the short (s) allele who experienced multiple negative life events in the prior year reported more frequent drinking and heavy drinking, stronger intentions to drink, and greater nonprescribed drug use. In individuals homozygous for the long (l) allele, drinking and drug use were unaffected by past-year negative life events. Heterozygous subjects showed drinking outcomes that were intermediate to the two homozygous groups. CONCLUSIONS The 5-HTTLPR s-allele is associated with increased drinking and drug use among college students who have experienced multiple negative life events. The s-allele carriers may be at risk for a variety of adverse behavioral outcomes in response to stress.

Associations of Peer Acceptance and Perceived Popularity With Bullying and Victimization in Early Adolescence

This study examined the role of peer acceptance and perceived popularity in bullying and victimization in early adolescent peer groups. Peer acceptance is the degree to which adolescents are well liked by their peers; perceived popularity indicates visibility, dominance, and prestige. It was hypothesized that acceptance negatively predicts bullying, whereas popularity positively predicts bullying, and that both acceptance and popularity negatively predict victimization. Interactions between acceptance and popularity were tested as well. Participants were 1,207 13- to 14-year-old adolescents who completed sociometric assessments in their classrooms. Both bullying and victimization were predicted by the interaction between acceptance and perceived popularity. Bullying was positively associated with popularity, and this association was stronger for adolescents with lower levels of acceptance. Victimization was negatively associated with popularity, and this association was also stronger for adolescents with lower levels of acceptance. Linear and curvilinear main effects and interactions were found; some were further moderated by gender. The discussion focused on the role of individual status and group dynamic factors in the occurrence of aggression among early adolescents.

Predictors of dyadic friendship quality in adolescence

Five dimensions of friendship quality (conflict, closeness, companionship, helping, and security) were predicted from self-reports and peer reports of physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behaviour, using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny & Acitelli, 2001). Participants were 224 adolescents aged 15–17 years (142 girls, 82 boys) who formed 112 unique same-sex best friend dyads. Significant actor and partner effects were found for both self-ratings and peer nominations of social behaviour and the five friendship qualities. Aggression was associated with self and partner perceptions of friendship conflict and low positive friendship qualities. Prosocial behaviour was associated with self and partner perceptions of positive friendship qualities and low conflict. The findings of this study were mostly consistent between male and female dyads. The importance of examining dependence due to dyads in peer relations research was discussed.

Popularity in Early Adolescence: Prosocial and Antisocial Subtypes

The present study was designed to examine early adolescents’ stereotypical descriptions of two types of youth who are seen as popular by their peers. Participants were 13- to 14-year-old early adolescents (N = 287). The results indicated that early adolescents distinguished two types of popular peers: a “populistic” (popular but not necessarily well liked) type and a “prosocial-popular” (popular and well liked and accepted) type. These two types differed in terms of academic and interpersonal behaviors. Populistic adolescents were seen as relationally aggressive, stuck up, vulgar, bullies, and academically disengaged. They were also seen as leaders, influential, and arrogant more than were prosocial-popular adolescents. Adolescents in the latter group were seen as affiliative, helpful, and academically engaged. Both types of popular youth were seen as attractive and fashionable. The implications of these findings for future research on high status in the adolescent peer group are discussed.

Dynamics of Peer Victimization in Early Adolescence

ABSTRACT This study addressed the stability of victimization across four consecutive years from Grades 4 to 7, and the concurrent correlates, short-term consequences, and predictors of victimization in early adolescence. Participants were 600 students (49% girls) enrolled in 10 elementary schools in Grades 4-5 and 2 middle schools in Grades 6-7 in an ethnically diverse school system. Data collection included peer nominations, self-reports, and teacher reports in each year. Victimization was highly stable across all years, including the transition from elementary to middle school. Both concurrent and short-term consequences showed that victimized 6th graders, especially girls, experienced significantly greater maladaptive outcomes than their nonvictim counterparts. For both genders, risk factors for adolescent victimization included externalizing and internalizing behaviors, while protective factors included academic and peer sociability elements. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Likeable versus popular: Distinct implications for adolescent adjustment

In the current study, 466 children completed a peer nomination survey assessing both perceived and sociometric popularity at the end of the 5th grade. Measures of behavior problems were assessed through a composite of peer-, teacher- and self-reports at the end of the 8th grade. Examination of the unique concurrent associations of each popularity type with peer nominated social characteristics in 5th grade demonstrated that sociometric popularity was positively associated with prosocial behavior and inclusive behavior, while perceived popularity was positively associated with overt and relational aggression. In addition to emerging as distinct conceptual constructs, these two dimensions of popularity also demonstrated unique associations with adjustment over time. Sociometric popularity in the 5th grade was associated with lower levels of externalizing behavior problems 3 years later, while perceived popularity was associated with higher levels of these problems over time. Interestingly, high levels of perceived popularity in the 5th grade were associated with less internalizing symptoms over time for boys, while high levels of sociometric popularity were associated with less internalizing symptoms over time for girls.

Children's interpersonal perceptions as a function of sociometric and peer-perceived popularity

Abstract This study extends previous research on the distinction between sociometric popularity and peer-perceived popularity among middle school children. The accuracy and consensus of childrens perceptions regarding popularity were examined. A sample of 135 4th- and 5th-grade children (81 girls and 54 boys) answered questions about whom they liked, whom they disliked, who they believed was popular, and who they believed was unpopular in their class. Consistent with past research, results showed a discrepancy between classifications based on sociometric popularity and those based on peer-perceived popularity. Furthermore, girls demonstrated somewhat higher levels of accuracy than boys in identifying who was perceived as popular or unpopular by the class, and unpopular children evidenced less consensus with the rest of the class in whom they liked and disliked. Results are discussed in terms of the predictive utility of the alternative form of classification based on childrens perceived status rather th...

Moderators of the association between relational aggression and perceived popularity.

This study, which involved two waves of measurement over a period of 12 months, examined first whether the positive association between relational aggression and two types of high status was moderated by social self-efficacy, leadership, cooperation, and peer sociability. It was expected that relational aggressors are most likely to gain high peer group status when they are also self-efficacious or prosocial. Second, this study examined the reciprocal association between relational aggression and high peer status. It was anticipated that relational aggression would contribute to higher perceived popularity and vice versa. Third, we also examined and hypothesized reciprocal effects between social self-efficacy, leadership, cooperation, and peer sociability and perceived popularity. Youth were 540 13-15 year olds participating in Grade 7 (Time 1) and again 1 year later in Grade 8 (Time 2). Data were collected from peers, teachers, and the adolescents themselves. Consistent with expectations, relationally aggressive adolescents high in social self-efficacy, leadership, cooperation, and peer sociability were higher in status than relationally aggressive individuals with low levels of these characteristics. In addition, relational aggression and perceived popularity reciprocally influenced each other. Finally, social self-efficacy, leadership, cooperation, and peer sociability reciprocally influenced and were influenced by perceived popularity.