Temperament and friendship in preschool-aged children

Tracy R. Gleason, Amy L. Gower, Lisa M. Hohmann, Terry C. Gleason

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Scopus citations

Abstract

The influence of three components of temperament (activity level, impulsivity, and soothability) on children's friendships was investigated. Children (40 girls, 35 boys) aged 43 to 69 months responded to a sociometric interview and teachers provided temperament ratings. The probability of children choosing particular classmates as friends was evaluated based on the genders and temperaments of the dyad. A logistic choice model revealed that the choice of friends is highly influenced by gender, high impulsivity, and high soothability. Furthermore, the gender of the chooser and the activity level of the friend interacted such that girls chose low activity level friends and boys chose high activity level friends. In addition, the likelihood of a child being chosen as a friend based on gender and temperament was significantly correlated with popularity for girls, but not for boys.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)336-344
Number of pages9
JournalInternational Journal of Behavioral Development
Volume29
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2005
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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