Some developmental implications of structural aspects of preschoolers' relations with classmates

To gain insight into children's peer relations and their developmental sign ificance, it is important to know not only how many relations children have but also to consider the structure of these relations. To demonstrate this , we used a multiple-study design in which we applied social network analys es to sociometric ratings and nominations from 1,082 4- to 5-year-old child ren in 83 school classes. Results showed that isolation in the classroom wa s more strongly associated with the choices that were given than those that were received. Gender plus the negative behavioral characteristics, aggres siveness and rejection, were the most important cues for social clustering. The structure of positive choices reflected the formation of friendship ne tworks, whereas negative choices tended to be given directly to individual "problem" children. Finally, structure indices tapped aspects of children's relations that were not reflected in the traditional two-dimensional class ification system and provided additional explanatory power for predicting d evelopmental outcomes.