Peer clique participation and social status in preadolescence

A method is described to identify peer cliques based on a consensus of grou p members; it provides quantitative measures of preadolescents' involvement in cliques and their association with peers who often get in trouble. Of p rimary interest was the relation between peer rejection and participation i n peer cliques. Characteristics of peer cliques were assessed for 824 fourt h-grade youth as a function of their sociometric status, gender, and aggres siveness. Rejected youth were less central members of their group than were average-status peers; however, aggressive preadolescents were no less cent rally involved than their nonaggressive peers. Rejected preadolescents also belonged to smaller cliques and to cliques comprised of other low-status p eers. Aggression was the primary factor associated with being a central mem ber of deviant peer cliques.