Children become very concerned about their peer group

children become very concerned about their peer-group standing
 Rejection can cause range of developmental outcomes such as dropping out and problem
behaviors
o Sociometric status

A measurement that reflects the degree to which children are liked or disliked by
their peers as a group
 Measured by nominations by peers
 Teacher/peer/self-ratings, class observation
 Unidimensional measures social acceptance only
 Two dimensional measures distinguish highly liked and unpopular
 Classifications, how measured
 Popular: lots of positive votes
o Highest levels of sociability and academic functioning
o Tend to be skilled at initiating interactions with peers and at maintaining positive
relationships with others
 Rejected: lots of negative votes
o More aggressive and withdrawn
o aggressive-rejected: hostile attribution bias
 Predicts rejection when they are young
 Sociometric and observation: rejection related to aggression, disruptiveness,
hyperactivity, social intrusiveness, bossiness
 Impossible to know for certain whether aggression causes peer rejection or results from it
 Aggressive children sometimes develop a network of aggressive friends and are accepted
in their peer group
o withdrawn rejected: predicts rejection when they get older
 socially withdrawn, wary, timid, and socially anxious
 frequently victimized by peers and many feel isolated and lonely
 Active isolates are most likely to be rejected by their peers, not just socially withdrawn
 Withdrawn children who display immature, unregulated, or angry, defiant behavior such
as bullying, boasting, and meanness
 neglected: few positive or negative votes
o could be withdrawn from peers but relatively socially competent
o tend to be less sociable and less disruptive than average children
o perceive that they receive less support from peers yet not particularly anxious about
social interactions
o simply not noticed
 controversial: combinations of many positive and many negative votes
o Combo of popular and rejected
o More aggressive than average, greater sociability, better academic functioning
o Very socially active and tend to be group leaders
o Viewed by peers as arrogant and snobbish
 Average: average number of positive and negative ratings
 Stability of sociometric status
o Peer acceptance affects later adjustment
o Rejected children show a variety of longer term negative effects

o Over relatively short periods such as weeks or a few months, children who are popular or
rejected tend to remain so, whereas children who are neglected or controversial are likely
to acquire a different status
o Over longer periods, children’s sociometric status is more likely to change
o Over time, sociometric stability for rejected children is generally higher than for popular,
neglected, or controversial children and may increase with the age of the child
 Developmental trends in predictors of children’s status
o
Same characteristics for popular and rejected cross-culturally
o