Examined children's social status, friendship, and adjustment. Found that peer relationships contributed uniquely to children's socioemotional adjustment, academic performance, and self-concept. Peer status also affected adjustment, with peer rejection and neglect being significant negative predictors. Effects of friendship appeared positive, with…

Examined natural behavior contingencies as mechanisms by which peers influence children's school motivation. Found that the more students were motivated, the more likely they were to receive approval from peer-group members following active, on-task behaviors. The less students were motivated, the more they received disapproval from nonmembers…

This study examined fourth- and fifth-grade girls' cognitions of their relationally aggressive peers as a function of their own relationally aggressive and sociometric status. Findings indicated that relationally aggressive girls tended to display a relatively cautious and wary social cognitive style in relationally provocative social situations.…

Studied self- and other-reported characteristics of 1,700 fifth through tenth graders varying in their use of coercive (aggression) and prosocial (cooperative) strategies of resource control. Found that children using both control strategies, labeled Machiavellians, possessed positive and negative characteristics and were socially central, liked…

Black adolescents estimated the degree to which they cared about whether their parents and friends perceived them as being smart, athletic, popular, and good students. A comparison sample of White adolescents from tenth grade was also assessed. (Author/BB)

Children's behavior and sociometric status were rated in kindergarten and first grade. Mothers provided data on family ecology. Rejected children were more likely to come from low-SES families in which restrictive discipline was used, and were more aggressive and less academically skilled than accepted children. Children whose SES improved across…

Peers are rarely credited as the source of positive behaviors; rather credit is given to the child or the parent for doing a good job. This introduction provides an overview of some of the methodological complications involved in studying peer influence, and discusses a new model for conceptualizing peer influence. (Author/SD)

Analyzed conversations within mother-kindergartner dyads for tendencies to discuss specific categories of child-other relationships, differences in tendencies with gender and ethnicity, and the association between discussed categories and children's perceived peer acceptance. Found that discussion categories varied with gender, ethnicity, and…