Poster #115 - Preschoolers’ understanding and affiliative preferences toward peers: Do children’s sex and social behaviors matter?

• In Event: Poster Session 17

Abstract

Involvement in the peer group is a central developmental issue during the preschool years (Sroufe, 2006), so that difficulties in the peer group are associated with negative socioemotional outcomes (Rubin et al., 2018). The developmental attributional perspective acknowledges that children’s interpretations about peer behaviors are associated with their behavioral reactions toward them (Graham & Hoem, 1995). Research found negative associations between preschoolers’ perceived intentionality and affiliative preference toward shy and aggressive behaviors (Graham & Hoem, 1995).
Beyond intentionality, further studies have investigated preschoolers’ understanding about the motivation to play, social standing and negative impact of aggressive and socially withdrawn behaviors, due to shyness and unsociability (Coplan et al, 2007, 2012; Ding et al., 2015; Zava et al., 2020). These studies found that preschoolers displayed higher affiliative preferences toward shy peers compared with aggressive and unsociable peers, perceiving the former as more motivated to play and more appreciated by the peer group (Coplan et al., 2007; Ding et al., 2015; Zava et al., 2020).
Nevertheless, the associations between preschoolers’ latter interpretations about peer behaviors and affiliative preferences remain relatively unexplored. Additionally, research showed that preschoolers’ understanding and affiliative preferences toward peer behaviors can vary, depending on children’s sex and social behaviors (e.g., Coplan et al., 2007; Zava et al., 2020).
The present study aimed to examine the associations of preschoolers’ understanding about the intentionality, motivation to play, social standing and negative impact of aggressive, shy, and unsociable peers with affiliative preferences, depending on children’s sex and social behaviors during peer play. A total of 158 children aged 3-6 years were interviewed, using the Child Attributions Interview (Coplan et al., 2007). Children’s teachers completed the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996) to assess children’s prossocial behaviors, aggression, and social withdrawal during peer play.
Preliminary analyses revealed that perceived motivation to play and social standing were positively associated with affiliative preferences toward all peer behaviors (Table1). These associations were mainly moderated by children’s sex and teacher-reported prossocial behaviors. Figure1 shows that preschoolers who perceived aggressive peers as more motivated to play and more appreciated by peers reported higher affiliative preferences toward them, when displaying higher levels of prossocial behaviors. The moderating effect of teacher-reported prossocial behavior in the association between perceived social standing and affiliative preference toward aggressive peers was stronger for boys. Positive associations between prossocial behaviors and affiliative preference toward shy peers were found. However, boys who perceived shy peers as more motivated to play reported higher affiliative preferences toward them, as prossocial behaviors decreased and aggressive behaviors increased.
These findings support the idea that children’s understanding about peer behaviors are associated with affiliative preferences (Graham & Hoem, 1995) and that more prossocial children seem to be more prone to approach shy peers and establish affiliative preferences based on the understanding of social and peers’ individual cues (Findlay et al., 2006). Our findings also suggest that, when perceived as more motivated to play, shy peers may be considered desirable playmates by more aggressive and less prossocial boys.

Authors

• Maryse Guedes, William James Center for Research
  Presenting Author

• Beatriz Monteiro

• Evlyne Martins Cardoso

• Manuela Veríssimo, ISPA-Instituto Universitário

• António J. Santos, ISPA - Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida

• Susana Tereno