Social cognitive predictors of peer acceptance at age 5 and the moderating effects of gender

Abstract

In this study we examined the effects of social intelligence, empathy, verbal ability and appearance-reality distinction on the level of peer acceptance, as well as the moderating role of gender. Participants were 98 five-year-old children (43 boys and 55 girls; mean age 5 years 3 months for boys and girls). Our results showed a main effect of social intelligence on peer acceptance, as well as several other effects that were moderated by gender: a significant and positive effect of verbal ability on social acceptance was found for boys; appearance-reality distinction was found to have a positive effect on social acceptance in the case of girls; and although empathy had a significant positive effect on social acceptance for both boys and girls, this effect was more pronounced among boys. Our results suggest that abilities promoting peer acceptance are different for boys and girls.

Interpersonal Trust Consistency and the Quality of Peer Relationships During Childhood

“…Thirdly, researchers may wish to examine the social antecedents of the relation between ITC and the quality of peer relationships. One social antecedent may reside in social intelligence (see Kihlstrom & Cantor, ), which entails children selecting appropriate behavior to achieve desired social goals, and is due, in part, to children's sensitivity to the effects of their social behavior on others (see Braza et al., ). Researchers have found that measures of social intelligence are associated with peer acceptance during childhood and adolescence (Braza et al., ; Meijs, Cillessen, Scholte, Segers, & Spijkerman, ).…”

“…One social antecedent may reside in social intelligence (see Kihlstrom & Cantor, ), which entails children selecting appropriate behavior to achieve desired social goals, and is due, in part, to children's sensitivity to the effects of their social behavior on others (see Braza et al., ). Researchers have found that measures of social intelligence are associated with peer acceptance during childhood and adolescence (Braza et al., ; Meijs, Cillessen, Scholte, Segers, & Spijkerman, ). Children who show high trust beliefs in peers and low trustworthiness toward peers may lack the sensitivity to identify that their inconsistent beliefs/behavior and corresponding lack of reciprocity negatively affect their peer relationships.…”

Childhood Verbal Development and Drinking Behaviors from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Discordant Twin-Pair Analysis

“…Peer influences and the tendency to seek novel experiences could link better verbal development with drinking behaviors. Good language skills reduce the likelihood of peer rejection (Braza et al, 2009; Menting et al, 2011) whereas higher social activity predicts more frequent drinking in adolescence (Pitkänen et al, 2008). The personality trait novelty seeking is positively associated with alcohol use (Zuckerman and Kuhlman, 2000), and cognitive performance and reading abilities in childhood are related to higher stimulation seeking tendencies (Raine et al, 2002).…”

The Kids' Empathic Development Scale (KEDS): A multi‐dimensional measure of empathy in primary school‐aged children

“…Empathic ability is taken to play an essential part in understanding social interactions and is considered a necessary prerequisite for both regulating one's own behaviour and behaving prosocially or adaptively in response to others (Belacchi & Farina, ; Coplan, ). It is influential in determining an individual's acceptance by peers (Braza et al ., ) and in the acquisition of morality (Decety, Michalska & Kinzler, ; Eisenberg, ), both are important foundations for successful social maturation. It is in the paediatric domain then that there is increasing pressure to better measure individual differences in empathic development to facilitate early intervention in cases where empathic ability is wanting (Belacchi & Farina, ).…”