Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Withdrawal, Observed Peer Acceptance, And The Development Of Self-Perceptions In Children Ages 4 To 7 Years, Larry J. Nelson, Kenneth H. Rubin, Nathan A. Fox

Faculty Publications

Children who think poorly about themselves are considered at-risk for a myriad of negative outcomes. Thus, it is important to explore possible origins of such cognitions, particularly in young children. The purpose of this study was to examine the relations between various nonsocial behaviors (i.e., reticence and social withdrawal), observed peer acceptance at ages 4 and 7 years, and self-perceptions at age 7 years in both boys and girls, respectively.

Participants included 163 children (89 females, 74 males) who were seen at age 4 and then again at age 7 years. For girls, results revealed that nonsocial behavior (both reticence …