Popular and unpopular children's interactions during cooperative and competitive peer group activities

Popular and unpopular fourth-grade boys were videotaped as each attempted to gain entry into a cooperative and a competitive task involving two classmates who were average in popularity. During the competitive procedure, the unpopular entry children were more likely than their popular counterparts to break rules, emit silly noises, and appeal to authority. Children average in popularity directed more positive behaviors toward their well-liked classmates and more derisive and dominating behavior toward unpopular peers. Unpopular children exhibited less negative and immature behavior in the benign, tension-free atmosphere of the cooperative project and their peers were more tolerant toward them than during the competitive game. The findings suggest that contextual factors influence the social skills exhibited by the unpopular child. Implications for the treatment of peer relationship problems are discussed.This article is based on a doctoral dissertation by the first author under the direction of the second author. The contributions of Neil Olliviera, Kathleen Sengstock, Virgil Sheets, and Jerry Sullivan in collecting and coding data are gratefully acknowledged. Appreciation is extended to Ira Firestone for his assistance with the statistical analyses. We would also like to thank the children, teachers, and administrators of the Hazel Park, Livonia, Southfield, and Farmington Hills, Michigan, schools who participated in the project.