Relative likeability and relative popularity as sources of influence in children’s friendships

Laursen, Brett; Leggett-James, Mary Page; Valdes, Olivia

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0283117

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

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Do Adolescents Adopt the Prosocial Behaviors of the Classmates They Like? A Social Network Analysis on Prosocial Contagion

Chávez,

Palacios,

Laninga-Wijnen

et al. 2024

J. Youth Adolescence

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While the influence of high-status peers on maladaptive behaviors is well-documented, socialization processes of prosocial behavior through high-status peers remain understudied. This study examined whether adolescents’ prosocial behavior was influenced by the prosocial behavior of the peers they liked and whether this effect was stronger when the peers they liked were also well-liked by their classmates. Three waves of data, six months apart, were collected among Chilean early adolescents who completed peer nominations and ratings at Time 1 (n = 294, Mage = 13.29, SD = 0.62; 55.1% male), Time 2 (n = 282), and Time 3 (n = 275). Longitudinal social network analyses showed that adolescents adopted the prosocial behavior of the classmates they liked - especially if these classmates were well-liked by peers in general. In addition, adolescents low in likeability were more susceptible to this influence than adolescents high in likeability. The influence resulted both in increases and – especially – decreases in prosocial behavior, depending on the level of prosociality of the liked peer. Findings suggest that likeability represents an important aspect of peer status that may be crucial for understanding the significance of peer influence with respect to prosocial behaviors during adolescence. Pre-Registration: https://osf.io/u4pxm.

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Do Adolescents Adopt the Prosocial Behaviors of the Classmates They Like? A Social Network Analysis on Prosocial Contagion

Chávez,

Palacios,

Laninga-Wijnen

et al. 2024

J. Youth Adolescence

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Children's Voices and Agency

Spiteri

2024

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The increased international legislation emphasising children's participation agenda heightened the need for high-quality research in early childhood. Listening to young children asserts their participation, agency and voices in research, an approach commonly associated with qualitative research methods. This Element provides a novel perspective to listening to children's voices by focusing on research methods in early childhood studies that are broadly categorised as quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Locating these research methods from a children's rights perspective, this Element is based on values that young children have the right to be involved in research irrespective of culture and context. Each section discusses how the different methodologies and approaches used in early childhood research align with the principles of children's participation and agency, as well as their right to express their views on matters that affect them. The Element concludes with a roadmap for future early childhood research and its ethical dissemination.

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More about being fun: Making friends to maximize social status

Leggett‐James,

Laursen

2023

Journal of Personality

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ObjectiveChildren perceived by peers as someone who is fun reap interpersonal rewards, but little is known about what makes someone fun or how being fun leads to social success. The present study is designed to identify what qualities makes someone fun and how being fun leads to social success.MethodTwo studies of children in primary and middle school are reported. Participants in the present investigation attended a public‐school representative of Florida school children in terms of ethnicity and income. In the first study, 351 (179 girls, 172 boys) students (8–11 years old) completed surveys twice (M = 8.5 weeks apart) during an academic year, describing the qualities of “someone who is fun.”ResultsAt both time points, kindness and humor were rated as more important than buffoonery. In the second study, 394 (210 girls, 184 boys) students (8–13 years old) completed peer nomination surveys thrice (M = 8.5 weeks apart) during an academic year. Replicating previous findings, being fun predicted increases in social status (i.e., likeability and popularity).ConclusionsUnique to this study, full longitudinal mediation analyses indicated that being perceived as fun early in the school year predicted friend gain from the beginning to the middle of the school year, which, in turn, predicted increases in perceived likeability and popularity from the middle to the end of the school year. The findings were unique to being fun. Kindness and humor did not predict friend gain.

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Relative likeability and relative popularity as sources of influence in children’s friendships

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Do Adolescents Adopt the Prosocial Behaviors of the Classmates They Like? A Social Network Analysis on Prosocial Contagion

Do Adolescents Adopt the Prosocial Behaviors of the Classmates They Like? A Social Network Analysis on Prosocial Contagion

Children's Voices and Agency

More about being fun: Making friends to maximize social status

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