The Relationship between Peer Acceptance and Children's Ideas about Helpfulness

LADD, GARY W., and ODEN, SHERmI. The Relationship between Peer Acceptance and Children's Ideas about Helpfulness. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1979, 50, 402-408. Thirdand fifth-grade children were given 3 sociometric measures and were later individually interviewed on 2 occasions in response to 3 cartoon themes showing a child being teased by peers, being yelled at by a peer, and having a schoolwork problem. In both interviews, children responded to cartoons depicting peer-group and dyad contexts. On separate interview occasions, children suggested helpful behaviors from the role of a helper and helpee (child in need of help). After each interview, children nominated helpful classmates for each situation. Children's responses were coded into 13 mutually exclusive categories. The number of responses suggested by each child not shared by same-sex classmates yielded a uniqueness score, and the number of categories indicated by a child's responses yielded a flexibility score. Multiple regression analyses indicated that higher uniqueness scores were significant predictors of low sociometric ratings from male and female classmates. Also, lower flexibility in responding was predictive of higher peer ratings from females. Significant correlations were also obtained between helpful peer nominations and other sociometric measures.