Adolescent Popularity as a Nonlinear, Two-Dimensional Construct: Convergent Results From Three Large Samples

The goal of this study was to advance the conceptualization and measurement of adolescent popularity by exploring the commonly used composite score (popularity minus unpopularity). We used standardized peer nominations from 4,414 early adolescents (ages approximate to 12-14 years) from three samples collected in two countries. Popularity and unpopularity were strongly related, but not linearly; scatterplots of the two variables resembled an L-shaped right angle. Subsequent analyses indicated that either including popularity as a curvilinear term or including both popularity and unpopularity as separate terms explained significantly more variance in social and behavioral correlates than linear, bivariate analyses using popularity, unpopularity, or composite popularity. These results suggest that researchers studying adolescent popularity should either separate popularity and unpopularity or treat composite popularity as curvilinear.

Automated summary

The study found a strong relationship between popularity and unpopularity among adolescents, but it is not linear; further analysis showed that treating popularity as a curvilinear term or including popularity and unpopularity as separate terms can significantly explain more variance in social and behavioral correlates.