2-138 - What Do the Popular Ones Do? Implications for Peer Relations and Adolescent Academic Performance

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Adolescent achievement is a key predictor of future educational and occupational success. Whereas schools attempt to maximize adolescent performance, adolescents may consider other things as important, like achieving high status (i.e., popularity) among peers. Popular peers function as role models and may set a “status norm” for which behaviors are considered attractive and valuable. The goal of this symposium is to advance current understanding of how status norms vary across different (cultural) contexts and the implications of such variance for the dynamical co-evolution of peer relations and academic achievement.
The first study indicated that popular youth tend to display prosocial behavior and be academically engaged in both the United States and China, but particularly in China. The second study indicated that the extent to which achievement is related to popularity (i.e., is a status norm) sets a standard for friendship selection processes: the higher the status norm for achievement, the lower the tendency to select similarly achieving peers as friends. The third study indicated that peers select similarly achieving others as friends in classrooms where popularity is associated with the performance goals (i.e., classes where it is ‘cool’ to outperform others). Moreover, friendship influence on achievement especially occurs in classes where popularity is associated with mastery goals (i.e., in classes where it is ‘cool’ to develop competence).
In sum, this symposium suggests that the norms of popular peers may vary across contexts and that these norms have implications for the co-evolution of peer relations and academic performance.

Sub Unit

• Social Relationships

Chair

• Lydia Laninga-Wijnen, Utrecht University

Discussant

• Jan Kornelis Dijkstra, University of Groningen

Individual Presentations

• Determinants of social status in the early adolescent peer system in the United States and China - Presenting Author: Xin Zhang, University of Illinois; Eva Pomerantz, University of Illinois; Lili Qin, National University of Singapore; handrea Logis, University of Illinois; Allison Ryan, University of Michigan; Meifang Wang, University of Illinois

• The Role of Status Norms and Rejection Norms in Friendship Dynamics related to Adolescent Achievement - Presenting Author: Lydia Laninga-Wijnen, Utrecht University; Mariola Gremmen, University of Groningen; Zeena Harakeh, Utrecht University; Jan Kornelis Dijkstra, University of Groningen; Rene Veenstra, University of Groningen; Christian Steglich, University of Groningen; Wilma A.M. Vollebergh, Utrecht University

• The Role of Achievement Goal Peer Norms in Friendship Dynamics related to Adolescent Academic Achievement - Lydia Laninga-Wijnen, Utrecht University; Presenting Author: Allison Ryan, University of Michigan; Huiyoung Shin, Oklahoma State University; Zeena Harakeh, Utrecht University; Wilma A.M. Vollebergh, Utrecht University