BEING NICE OR BEING TOUGH? SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL COGNITION IN TWO TYPES OF POPULAR PRE-ADOLESCENTS

• Authors: Vladimíra Čavojová
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Although peer status has been extensively studied especially with regard to pro social behaviour, the results are mixed. Current study focuses on popularity and friendship, and their associations to social behaviour (pro social vs. antisocial) and social cognition (mindreading and empathy). 335 preadolescents (Mage = 13.3) participated in the study and completed sociometric questionnaire, mindreading test and three empathy questionnaires. Boys scored higher in popularity and disruptive behaviour, girls scored higher in helping behaviour and social cognition (mindreading and empathy). The two subtypes of popular students were identified – Pro social and Populist, who differed in their social behaviour and underlying social cognition. Pro social students showed more pro social behaviour, together with better mindreading and empathy skills than Populists. It seems that popularity in group can be achieved by two ways - either by being nice, or by being “tough”. This finding is also in line with the results of Bruyin and Cillessen (2006).

Keywords

EN

SOCIAL STATUS; POPULARITY; MINDREADING; EMPATHY; BEHAVIOUR; POPULIST; SOCIAL COGNITION; SOCIOMETRY

• Publisher: Institute of Experimental Psychology, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Studia Psychologica
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 313 – 327

Contributors

author

Vladimíra Čavojová

• Ústav experimentálnej psychológie SAV, Dúbravská cesta 9, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovak Republic