Social Competence, Person Perception, and Sibling Status in Young Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among social competence, social cognition, and birth order. Data were obtained at two schools from two classes each of kindergarten, first, second and third grade. Social competence was assessed by a peer rating picture sociometric measure. One type of social cognition, person perception, was assessed through content analysis of children's descriptions as peripheral/concrete or central/abstract. No relationship was found between and among the three variables. Of nine other variables (age, negative comments about peers, negative comments about siblings, language development, sex, socioeconomic status, sibling status, birth order, nursery school attendance) which were investigated to eliminate intervening variables, only one significant correlation was found: per cent of negative comments about siblings was positively related to more central/abstract descriptions of peers. In this study subjects averaged a greater percentage of more mature descriptions than has previously been reported. It is suggested that study of younger subjects be undertaken to determine when more central/abstract descriptions first emerge.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Dunham-Trautwein, Jo Anne

• Education, Early Childhood

Identifier

(UMI)AAI8610919

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/69037