Effects of experimentally induced peer-group rejection on children's risk-taking behaviour

Social identity, peer group rejection, and young children's reactive, displaced, and proactive aggression

“…That said, whereas earlier research indicated that social group rejection increased children's negative affect (Nesdale & Lambert, 2007, 2008), the present findings indicated that rejected children disliked the members of the rejecting group and developed indirect aggressive intentions towards them. In addition, whereas follow‐forward research has revealed, for example, that early peer rejection in grades 1–3 predicted growth in aggression in grades 5–7 (e.g., Dodge et al , 2003), the present study showed that a child's rejection by his/her social group caused an immediate increase in their intentions to engage in indirect aggression, but not direct aggression.…”

“…As expected, children who were rejected by the ingroup were considerably more negative towards the rejecting ingroup than were the accepted children. Moreover, whereas research has shown that accepted children typically strongly favour their ingroup over any outgroup (Nesdale & Lambert, 2007, 2008), as did the accepted children in this study, the present findings indicated that the rejected children were just as negative towards the rejecting ingroup as they were towards the outgroup. These findings were clearly consistent with the intent of the peer status manipulation.…”

“…However, of relevance to the foregoing issue are findings indicating that social group rejection versus acceptance significantly increased children's negative affect (i.e., anger, hurt, upset), and their tendencies towards risk‐taking (Nesdale & Lambert, 2007, 2008). More directly, Nesdale and Lambert (2007) reported that social group rejection significantly increased children's tendencies towards engaging in anti‐social behaviours (e.g., arguing with others, talking when the teacher is talking, using other people's things, interrupting others), and that the rejection effect was mediated by the negative affect arising from the rejection experience.…”

Effects of peer group rejection and a new group's norms on children's intergroup attitudes

“…In particular, the simulation technique, as used in the present study, fails to capture the full complexity of rejection instigated by known peers, within the context of the ebbs and flows of children's day‐to‐day relationships. That said, the strength of the present study, as well as others using this paradigm (Nesdale & Lambert, 2007, 2008; Nesdale et al , Study 1, in press; Nesdale & Pelyhe, in press) is that, even as simulations, they clearly demonstrate the causal impact of peer group rejection on young children's affective responses, outgroup prejudice, and antisocial behaviours, albeit perhaps not with the full richness of a real peer group rejection experience. One implication is that simulation studies such as the present research need to be bolstered by more focused peer nomination studies, as well as correlational research.…”

“…In addition, Nesdale and Lambert (2008) found that peer group rejection significantly increased children's tendencies towards risk taking, while Nesdale and Lambert (2007) reported that peer group rejection significantly increased children's tendencies towards engaging in antisocial behaviours (e.g. arguing with others, talking when the teacher is talking, using other people's things, interrupting others).…”