PRESCHOOLERS LIKABILITY AS CAUSE OR CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR

Are preschoolers' likability and prosocial behavior consequences of their earlier prosocial behavior or their earlier likability? Teachers' ratings of positive and negative social behavior, as well as peer-rated sociometric likability, were assessed for 43 preschoolers over a 10-month period (average initial age = 45 months). Early in peer reputation formation, likability was associated with peer behavior: Friendlier, more cooperative, less aggressive, and less difficult children were more well liked. Later likability was predicted by earlier likability, not prosocial behavior; peer reputation appeared to be emerging as more important than social behavior in peers' judgments of likability Although later prosocial behavior was found not to be a consequence of earlier likability, it was predicted by concurrent likability.