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Peer Groups: Structure • Typically range in size from 3 to >10 children (average = 5-6) • Mostly composed of same-sex peers • During childhood, peer groups tend to be smaller (“cliques”); during adolescence, peer groups become larger (“crowds”) Peer Groups: Functions • Children learn a variety of skills necessary for group functioning – Exs: engagement in cooperative activity with collective goals; nature of social structures/hierarchies; skills associated with leading/following; control of hostile impulses toward other members • Peer groups may also serve as a major source of social support Peer Acceptance and Rejection • Popularity: Experience of being liked and accepted by the peer group Assessment of Peer Acceptance • Sociometric nominations – Used within a classroom – Children are typically asked to name 3-5 peers they like most and like least – Children are categorized into status groups based on the number of positive and negative nominations they receive from peers Peer Acceptance Categories: • Popular: Many positive nominations, few negative • Rejected: Many negative nominations, few positive • Controversial: Many positive and negative nominations • Neglected: Few positive or negative nominations • Average: All others Correlates of Peer Acceptance • Popular: – Generally viewed as cooperative, friendly, sociable, and sensitive – Less likely to draw unwarranted attention to themselves when entering ongoing playgroups (e.g., do not talk exclusively about themselves; do not disrupt ongoing group activities) – Speak clearly and respond contingently to social overtures from others – Endorse negotiation and compromise as effective strategies for obtaining their goals and maintaining positive relationships with peers • Controversial: – Show a combination of positive and negative social behaviors – Some data indicate these children are likely to be perceived as popular • Neglected: – Interact with peers less frequently than “average” children – Less sociable, aggressive, and disruptive than other children – No consistent evidence that neglected children are socially anxious or more withdrawn than “average” children • Rejected: – Most consistently associated with aggression • But aggression seems to become less strongly associated with rejection with age, especially among boys – Aggressive children only comprise 40-50% of the rejected group – Tend to endorse aggression as an effective means of meeting social goals; seem to lack understanding that their behaviors lead others to dislike them – Socially anxious, timid, and withdrawn children are also more likely to be rejected • Association with rejection becomes stronger in late childhood and early adolescence – 10-20% of the rejected group – Tend to be behaviorally submissive; indicate negative thoughts/feelings about themselves and their social relationships; indicate feelings of isolation and loneliness Peer Rejection and Later Adjustment • Peer rejection in childhood predicts externalizing problems in adolescence – Exs: delinquency, conduct disorder, attention problems, substance abuse • Some evidence indicates that early peer rejection uniquely predicts later externalizing problems even when previous externalizing behavior is controlled • Similarly, some evidence indicates that peer rejection predicts subsequent increases in aggression over time, controlling for initial levels of aggression Peer Rejection and Later Adjustment (con’t) • Social withdrawal is associated with later internalizing problems – Exs: low self-esteem, anxiety problems, depressive symptoms, loneliness • Some evidence indicates that peer rejection predicts increases in internalizing problems over time