Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

693

Date

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Psychology

Committee Chair

Robert Cohen

Committee Member

Gilbert Parra

Committee Member

Robert Neimeyer

Abstract

The nature of children’s peer relationships, usually investigated in terms of mutual friends and/or mutual antipathies, is critical to their social functioning and adjustment. Recently, Olsen, Parra, Cohen, Schoffstall, and Egli (2012) offered a comprehensive framework for studying children’s peer relationships as all possible dyads within classrooms, using both friendship and antipathy nominations. This present research extended this work by systematically considering a more complete profile of all the classroom relationships of each third-sixth grade child and comparing these profiles to social functioning, including: children’s self-ratings of social competence and peer optimism, and peer nominations ofsociability, showing respect, overt and relational aggression, and passive withdrawal. Results indicated that a 4-cluster solution best fit the data, (Befriending, Disregarding but Liked, Disliked, and Disliking), and these groups differed on social functioning measures. These findings help establish links between the configuration of a child’s relationship types and other levels of social functioning.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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