Melissa E. DeRosier

Similarity as the Basis for Children's Friendships: The Roles of Sociometric Status, Aggressive and Withdrawn Behavior, Academic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics

The purpose of the present study was to examine similarity in demographic, behavioral, academic and social attributes as descriptors and predictors of childrens friendships. The characteristics of all possible pairs of unique classroom dyads (N = 4725) were used to predict reciprocated school, home and best friendship choices among 554 third (M = 9.38 years old) and fourth (M = 10.47 years old) graders. Peer reports of aggressive and withdrawn behavior and sociometric status, teacher reports of poverty, and archival reports of sex, race and academic achievement were obtained. The main finding was that as similarity increased, the likelihood of being friends also increased. Specifically, patterns of gender, race, poverty, aggression, withdrawn behavior, achievement and sociometric status between dyad members were descriptive and predictive of childrens friendships.

Teacher preference, peer rejection, and student aggression: a prospective study of transactional influence and independent contributions to emotional adjustment and grades.

This study assessed the importance of teacher preference of individual students, relative to peer rejection and student aggression, as an independent predictor of childrens emotional adjustment and grades. First, a longitudinal, cross-lagged path analysis was conducted to determine the patterns of influence among teacher preference, peer rejection, and student aggression. Then, parallel growth analyses were examined to test whether lower initial and declining teacher preference, beyond the influence of initial level and change in peer rejection and student aggression, predicted change in loneliness, depression, social anxiety, and grades. Social adjustment, emotional adjustment, and academic adjustment were assessed in the fall and spring of two consecutive school years with 1193 third-grade students via peer-, teacher-, and self-report instruments as well as school records. In the cross-lagged path analysis, reciprocal influence over time between teacher preference and peer rejection was found, and student aggression predicted lower teacher preference and higher peer rejection. In the growth analyses, initial and declining teacher preference were independent predictors of increasing loneliness and declining grades. Discussion focuses on the relevance of the results within a transactional model of school adaptation.

Strengthening Sociometric Prediction: Scientific Advances in the Assessment of Children's Peer Relations

This study assessed the strength of sociometric classification in the prediction of concurrent sociobehavioral adjustment. Differential adjustment for subgroups of unclassified children were also examined. Participants were 881 fifth graders (ages 9 to 12). Classification strength (CS) and unclassified subgroups were determined through newly developed algorithms. CS added significantly to the prediction of all areas of adjustment. For example, highly rejected children were at extreme risk for victimization whereas highly controversial children were most likely to be bullies and relationally aggressive. Unclassified subgroups were found to exhibit adjustment problems mirroring those of their extreme status group counterparts. Findings support that increasing the sensitivity of sociometric measurement results in both greater predictive strength and enhanced understanding of underlying social processes.

Costa Rican Children's Perceptions of Their Social Networks.

Cultural differences in Costa Rican and U.S. childrens perceptions of their relationships with social network members were examined. Fourth- and 6th-grade children (N=358) in both countries were given Furman and Buhrmesters (1985) Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI), which assessed 6 qualities of relationships (intimacy, conflict, companionship, affection, satisfaction, and instrumental aid) with 6 persons (mother, father, favorite sibling, favorite grandparent, same-sex best friend, and teacher)

Predicting change in children's aggression and victimization using classroom-level descriptive norms of aggression and pro-social behavior ☆

This study examined aggressive and pro-social classroom descriptive norms as predictors of change in aggression and victimization during middle childhood. Participants included 948 children in third through fifth grade. Measures of teacher-reported aggressive and peer-reported pro-social descriptive norms were completed at the onset of the study. Children completed self-report measures of aggression and victimization on three occasions during one academic year. Multilevel growth models were analyzed to determine the amount of student-reported change in aggression and victimization attributable to the classroom norm variables. Results indicated that students in classrooms with higher initial mean levels of aggression reported larger increases in aggression and victimization over the school year. In contrast, boys with higher initial levels of aggression reported smaller increases in aggression than boys with lower initial levels of aggression, and both boys and girls with higher initial aggression reported declining victimization over the school year. Pro-social classroom norms were unrelated to change in aggression and victimization. The implications of the findings for future studies on the influence of classroom social norms as well as interventions for aggression and victimization are discussed.

Effect of Children's Perceived Rejection on Physical Aggression

This study investigated whether the perception of self as socially rejected might contribute to increased physical aggression among elementary-school children. It was hypothesized that physically aggressive children would become more physically aggressive over time if they perceived that they were rejected and tended to blame peers for social failure experiences. Third-grade boys and girls (n = 941) were assessed in the Fall and Spring of the school year. Peer-report data on physical aggression and social preference were collected, along with self-report data on perceived rejection and attributions for social failure experiences. Results for boys were consistent with hypotheses, whereas the results for girls revealed a different pattern of relations. These results constitute prospective evidence that childrens self-perceptions of social rejection can uniquely influence externalizing behavior. Results are discussed in terms of mechanisms that might mediate the relation between perceived rejection and physical aggression.

Implementing a Web-Based Intervention to Train Community Clinicians in an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE The authors conducted a feasibility assessment of online training plus an online learning collaborative to support implementation of an evidence-based psychosocial treatment in a community mental health system. METHODS Two mental health centers were randomly allocated to in-person training with local supervision, and three were assigned to online training plus an online learning collaborative supported by expert clinicians. Participants (N=36) were clinicians interested in interpersonal and social rhythm therapy (IPSRT), an evidence-based psychotherapy for bipolar disorder. After training, 136 patients reported monthly on the extent to which clinicians used 19 IPSRT techniques. RESULTS Clinicians from both training groups increased use of IPSRT techniques. Patients of clinicians receiving Internet-supported e-learning and of those receiving in-person training reported comparable clinician use of IPSRT techniques. CONCLUSIONS Internet-supported e-learning by community clinicians was found to be feasible and led to uptake of an evidence-based psychotherapy comparable to that by clinicians who received face-to-face training.

The social climate of schools in the aftermath of 9-11: ethnic differences in children's peer relations

Abstract Since September 11, 2001, ethnic tensions involving persons of Middle Eastern descent have increased in the United States. This study examined the peer relationships of 748 fifth-grade students of different ethnic groups both at one month and eight months post-9-11. Results indicated that only Middle Eastern children showed a large drop in positive peer nominations and popularity over the course of the school year. Bullying of Middle Eastern and Hispanic students also showed a significant increase. Given that peer problems and bullying are detrimental to the school climate and promote violence, the need for proactive school-based programs to foster racial tolerance is discussed.

Career progress in online and blended learning environments.

ObjectiveThe authors examined the career achievement of early- and mid-career researchers in social, behavioral, and mental health who participated in a career-development conference.MethodTrainees participated in a career-development conference either through attending a live conference supplemented with an online version of the conference (Combined: N=46) or through the online version of the conference alone (Web-Only: N=60). An objective measure tracked the trainees’ publications, involvement in research projects, honors and grant awards, collaborations, and scientific presentations before and 9 months after participation in the career-development conference.ResultsStatistical analysis showed that trainees improved for each category measured, with no significant differences across the Combined and Web-Only groups. The strongest variable affecting improvement was Time, and the most significant time effect was seen in the production of presentations and publications. A significant Gender difference was present, with women showing greater total career progress than men.ConclusionCareer-development conferences can support career growth for trainees. Online training provides a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to in-person methods, while still enhancing key markers of career progress.

Toward effective game-based social skills tutoring for children: an evaluation of a social adventure game

This paper describes a study of a prototype of a novel game-based intelligent tutor that teaches children positive social skills. The results provide considerable support for the potential value of this game as a social skills training tool, despite the comparatively brief play-through duration of the prototype. Key to the initial success is a development framework that fostered deep collaboration and rapid prototyping between the subject matter experts and game designers.