Toward a Definition of Social Isolation in Children

GOTTMAN, JOHN M. Toward a Definition of Social Isolation in Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1977, 48, 513-517. There are 2 separate definitions of social isolation in existing literature, 1 based on low frequencies of peer interaction and 1 based on low levels of peer acceptance using sociometric measures. 113 children in 8 Head Start classrooms were assessed using sociometric measures of acceptance and rejection and observational measures of behavior when alone, when interacting with peers, and when interacting with the teachers. There was no relationship between peer acceptance and the relative frequency of peer interaction, suggesting that these 2 measures of social isolation do not tap the same dimension. A direct cluster rotation analysis resulted in 5 orthogonal clusters of children which defined 5 pure types. These types were: (1) sociometric stars, (2) sociometric rejectees, (3) children who had highly negative interactions with the teacher, (4) children who interacted frequently with peers, and (5) children who were frequently tuned out or off task when alone. Of these 5 groups, the tuned-out children also had the lowest means on peer acceptance and were high on a set of shy, anxious, and fearful behaviors coded hovering. This group seems to best fit the construct of the shy, socially anxious child who also is neither accepted nor rejected, but rather is ignored by peers.