Does Sports Ability and Attractiveness Predict Greater Popularity Depending on Gender?

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - Social Relationships

Abstract

Both positive and negative effects of popularity have been documented among adolescents. According to longitudinal studies, students perceived as popular display greater developmental skills and are more open to strong emotional experiences and positive social development (Allen et al., 2005). According to Dijkstra and colleagues (2009), popularity can overshadow aggression, altering peers’ perception of popular adolescents. Students who exhibit destructive behaviors remain popular to their peers, which may be attributed to the fact that these destructive behaviors act as a means to demonstrate adult status (Dijkstra et al., 2009). Although antisocial behaviors have been identified as one route to increased popularity (Mayeux et al., 2008), other, more benign routes likely exist. In this study, we focus on three indexes of self-efficacy (sports, appearance, and popularity) that should enhance popularity either directly (popularity self-efficacy) or indirectly through increases in sports ability (e.g., Clevinger, Petrie, Martin, & Greenleaf, 2020) and appearance. We hypothesized that sports ability and attractiveness predict increased popularity. However, we expected sports ability to be more associated with increased popularity for boys than for girls and attractiveness more strongly related to increased popularity for girls than for boys. Additionally, we expected our indexes of self-efficacy to be associated with popularity, but that such effects would likely be mediated through peer-perceived attributes (i.e., their sports ability and attractiveness). Our study included 195 students in grades four to seven (101 boys; mean age = 10 years) in a southeastern middle school. Peers nominated their same-sex classmates on their sports ability and attractiveness in the Fall and their popularity in the Fall and Spring of the school year. Furthermore, children reported their own sports self-efficacy, attractiveness self-efficacy, and popularity self-efficacy in the Fall. Zero-order correlations among our study variables indicated that all five focal predictors were positively associated with popularity at both time points. Next, we conducted a hierarchical multiple regression analysis with popularity at Time 2 serving as the dependent variable. At step 1, sex, grade, and the distal self-efficacy measures (sports, attractiveness, and popularity) were entered. At step 2, peer-perceived sports ability and attractiveness were entered. All 2-way interactions involving sex were evaluated on the last step. At step 1, sports self-efficacy independently predicted increases in popularity (b = .05, p = .015). At step 2, perceived sports ability emerged as the sole independent predictor of increases in popularity (b = .32, p < .001). However, this effect was significantly qualified by gender. As expected, sports ability was more predictive of increases in popularity for boys (b = .41, p < .001) than for girls (b = .21, p = .003). Supplementary analyses indicated that sports self-efficacy might indirectly influence popularity through increases in peer-perceived sports ability. Relating to the previously cited studies, our findings suggest that athletic males may have greater social and developmental attributes when faced with the adult world due to their increased popularity.

Authors

• Megan DiCosta, St. John's University
  Presenting Author

• Elianne Asmar, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jane Gonring, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christina Mammano, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura Cyran, St. John’s University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ernest V. E. Hodges, St. John's University
  Non-Presenting Author