Abstract
Classroom peer perceptions of 18 teacher-nominated hyperactive and 18 teacher-nominated active but normal elementary school-age boys, as revealed in two sociometric measures (Bower's Class Play, like-dislike nomination), were compared. Results indicated that hyperactives were significantly different from actives on all sociometric measures in that they were perceived more negatively. Peer communication patterns also were assessed. The communicative content, communicative quality, and attention to task instructions of hyperactive boys were compared to those of comparison boys. Limited support was found for the earlier finding that hyperactive boys were less likely than comparison boys to modulate behavior in response to changing external cues and to respond to subtle social learning opportunities. The communication task was found to be highly engaging for both groups of boys, and results suggest that hyperactive children may not lack the interpersonal skills necessary for referential communication, although they may be unable to use them consistently in all settings. The need to continue the study of peer relations of hyperactive children in naturalistic settings is stressed.
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Reference note
Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., & Brakke, N. P. Behavior patterns of socially rejected and neglected preadolescents: The roles of social approach and aggression. Manuscript submitted for publication, 1981.
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This project was supported in part by BRSG Grant S07-RR0703, awarded by the Biomedical Research Support Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. The authors wish to thank Chris Tetzloff, who served as an experimenter, and Mary Carter, Barbara Kunz, and Scott Bishop, who coded all project videotapes. The authors also wish to thank Carol K. Whalen for providing drawings, designs, and detailed descriptions of the “Space Flight” task, and Robert Sprague for providing the Conners Rating Scales on 90 clinically diagnosed hyperactive children.
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King, C.A., Young, R.D. Peer popularity and peer communication patterns: Hyperactive versus active but normal boys. J Abnorm Child Psychol 9, 465–482 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917796
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00917796