SOCIAL-STATUS AND PATTERNS OF COMMUNICATION IN ACQUAINTED AND UNACQUAINTED PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN

Communication patterns were investigated related to the emergence and maintenance of social status in young children. 66 preschool children were classified as liked, disliked, or low-impact, using classmates' sociometric nominations. Children were observed interacting in 1 of 2 conditions: as entry child and host to children they did not know, or as entry child and host to children they knew. Results indicated that when entering the play of children they did not know, disliked children were less responsive to peers and more likely to make irrelevant comments than were liked children. With acquainted peers, disliked children were not only less responsive and more irrelevant than liked children, they were also less likely to clearly direct their communication to specific peers. Thus, responsiveness and contributing to coherent conversation appear to be important to both the establishment and maintenance of social status, whereas failure to socially direct communications may occur only after children develop a negative reputation with peers and, thus, may be a factor only in the maintenance of social status.