1. Peer Acceptance and Rejection
PSY 226:
Child and Adolescent Development

2. Learning Objectives
Know the 4 categories of peer sociometric status and how they are measured
Describe characteristics of popular, rejected, neglected, and controversial children
Describe the process of peer rejection for aggressive-rejected children including developmental consequences and possible solutions

3. Peer Relations and Social Adjustment
Sociometric Status
Friendships
Social Networks
Crowds

4. Sociometric Peer Status
Is a child generally liked / disliked by his her or peers?
Aggregate Nomination Procedure (Coie et al. 1982):
“List the three persons that you like most in your class (school, neighborhood):
1. Ricardo V.
2. Juan R.
3. Mark S.
“List the three persons that you like least in your class (school, neighborhood):
1. Fernando A.
2. Mark B.
3. John S.
STRENGTHS:
1. High validity and reliability.
2. Information is combined across all persons.
3. Contextual flexibility.

5. Sociometric Peer Status
Many
POPULAR
Liked
Most
CONTROVERSIAL
Few /
None
Many
Liked
Least
AVERAGE
NEGLECTED
REJECTED
Few / None

6. Characteristics of Popular, Rejected, Neglected, Controversial Children
Popular (20%): Cooperative, friendly, sociable, attractive, sensitive
Volunteer to help, school leaders, skilled at group entry
Assertive, but not aggressive/disruptive
Rejected (22%):
Aggressive (40-50%) – Disruptive, physical/verbal attacks
Aggression seems antecedent to rejection
Withdrawn (10-20%) – Submissive, immature, socially wary
Neglected (23%): Avoid aggressive interchanges, low disruptiveness
Not necessarily anxious about social interchanges,
but have few
Least stable category
Controversial (12%): Can have characteristics for popularity and rejection
May be helpful, leaders, and aggressive
Least information about this subgroup

7. Aggressive-Rejected Children and Social Adjustment
Asher & Coie, 1990; Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006
Social behavior of the child is primarily responsible for the
onset rejection by peers.
-- Ken Dodge’s study of unfamiliar peers
Social information processing deficits (Dodge)
Hostile attribution bias (deficient emotional understanding)
and impulse control problems
2. The child’s behavior patterns, cognitive processes, and
affective/emotional processes are influenced by parenting.

8. A Sequence of Deficient Social Information Processing
Encoding social cues
Making attributions (intentional hostility)
Limited Responses (get even, insult, hit)
Act on Impulse (punch!)
Short-sighted Evaluation (that worked!)

9. Peer Acceptance/Rejection and Social Adjustment
Asher & Coie, 1990; Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006
3. Processes that maintain peer rejection are influenced by peer group
dynamics that regulate/stabilize the rejected child’s behavior. It
becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
4. Persistent peer rejection has implication for the child’s long-term
social adjustment.
Note: Rejection shows about 50% stability over 3 years

10. Peer Acceptance/Rejection and Social Adjustment
Outcomes Associated with Peer Rejection
Academics
Less interested in school
Absenteeism high (skip; truancy)
Grade failure (2 to 7 times more likely)
Difficulty transitioning to middle school
Risk for early dropout before Grade 9
17.5% vs. 5.4%
Esp. True if
Rejected
Children have
Peers w/ Low
Academic Interest
Sources: Coie et al., 1992 ; Ollendick et al., 1992; Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006

11. Peer Acceptance/Rejection and Social Adjustment
Outcomes Associated with Peer Rejection
2. Externalizing Behavior Problems
Conduct disorder, attention problems, substance use
About twice as likely to be a delinquent (Kupersmidt et al.)
Deviant peer relations mediate these outcomes
Stability matters! Chronic rejection is much worse than
temporary or transient rejection

12. Peer Acceptance/Rejection and Social Adjustment
Outcomes Associated with Peer Rejection
3. Internalizing Behavior Problems
Higher depression and loneliness
Longitudinal (K-7)
Stability matters! Burks et al. found these problems held mainly
for children rejected for 2 or more consecutive years
Sources: Burks et al., 1995; Gazelle & Ladd, 2003

13. Person-Context Considerations
Gender
Boys who engage in stereotypical female play tend to be disliked by other boys and girls
Variation in Group Norms
Aggressive classrooms (or schools)
Aggression is not always related to peer preference
Withdrawn behavior is linked to low peer preference
High poverty, dangerous neighborhoods
Assertive/Aggressive children may be popular
In truly deviant groups (e.g., gangs)
High levels of aggression predicts popularity

14. Can the Problems Associated with Peer Rejection Be Prevented?
Assumption: Social-behavioral skill deficits
drive peer rejection (e.g., Dodge’s model)
Social Skills Training: coaching/teaching social skills
(interpret, encode, enact) via role-playing, group talk,
social-cognitive training, modeling.
STOP -- THINK -- GO

15. Benefits of Social Skills Training
Social-cognition: Increased Understanding of Self and Others Emotions (i.e., Emotional Intelligence)
Reduced externalizing (aggression and hyperactivity) and internalizing (depression) problems and symptoms
Increased academic achievement
Sometimes peer status improves

16. Limitations of Social Skills Training
1. Not all children who are poorly accepted lack social skills.
* Many rejected children have friends.
* It may provide limited exposure to competent peers.
2. Individual-based approach.
* Does not include peer group, teacher, or family.
3. Less then half (48%) of children want to receive social
skills training.
* Ethical problem?
* Labeling

17. Positive Self-Fulfilling Prophecy