Disentangling dyadic and reputational perceptions of prosociality, aggression, and popularity in explaining friendship networks in early adolescence

This study examined the differential effects of two forms of adolescents' perceptions of peers' prosociality, aggression, and popularity, on friendship selection. Individuals' reports of their peers' behaviors (dyadic perceptions) and the aggregated classmates' reports (reputational perceptions) were disentangled. The findings indicated that adolescents were more likely to befriend classmates widely perceived as prosocial (reputational perception) and were less likely to befriend classmates they perceived as aggressive (dyadic perception). For popularity, the effect of dyadic perception disappeared when including the reputational perception. The findings highlight the differences between the dyadic and reputational perceptions of peer behavior. Not only dyadic perceptions of behaviors but also reputational perceptions exert a role in befriending peers.

Automated summary

This study found that adolescents are more likely to befriend classmates perceived widely as prosocial and less likely to befriend those perceived as aggressive. The influence of dyadic perception on popularity disappears when reputational perception is included. The study highlights the differences between dyadic and reputational perceptions of peer behavior, showing that both play a role in befriending peers.