Development of a Peer-Report Measure of Social Transactions Used by Early Adolescents to Infer Liking

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a peer-report measure of social transactions used to infer liking by peers. Sixty-five early adolescents were interviewed concerning the behavioral basis of their impressions of who liked or disliked them in their class. Twenty-two behavioral cues for liking between children were then tentatively identified. To confirm the communicative potential of these behaviors, another sample of 260 Grade 5 students read a series of hypothetical vignettes. All positive behaviors led to inferences of liking. The six negative behaviors were consistently associated with inferences of disliking. These behaviors were incorporated into a rating scale and administered, along with a set of other peer-report measures, to a third sample of Grade 5 students. Results of this last study suggest that this scale is a reasonably good measure of social transactions that may be important for communicating levels of liking and relational interest between children.