Gavinski Molina, Marie-Helene2013-11-082013-11-0820092009Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-09, Section: B, page: 5865.http://hdl.handle.net/10393/29779http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-13136The goal of the present study was to examine and directly compare actual peer acceptance and perceived peer acceptance in peer-identified withdrawn, aggressive, and nondeviant children. The children also rated how important it was for them to be liked by each of their peers. It was hypothesized that withdrawn children would underestimate their degree of acceptance in the peer group and would rate importance of peer acceptance higher compared to aggressive and nondeviant children. Children's self-reported social anxiety was also explored as a way of examining its effect on their perceptions of how they thought they were perceived by their peers. Participants included 479 children from Grades 3, 5, and 7 from middle-class elementary and junior high schools in the Western Quebec School Board. These children completed a peer assessment measure of social behaviour, a self-report measure of social anxiety, and sociometric rating measures of peer acceptance ("actual" peer acceptance, "perceived" peer acceptance, and "importance" of peer acceptance). Using a peer assessment measure of social behaviour, three groups of children were identified: (1) withdrawn (n = 68); (2) aggressive (n = 70); and (3) nondeviant (n = 242). When directly comparing children's actual versus perceived peer acceptance, contrary to our hypothesis, results showed no significant difference for withdrawn children. Conversely, aggressive children perceived themselves to be significantly better liked by their peers than they actually were, while results showed that nondeviant children were significantly better liked by their peers than they perceived themselves to be. The results also showed that aggressive children believed it was significantly less important for them to be liked by their peers compared to withdrawn children. Moreover, withdrawn children had significantly higher scores on social anxiety (i.e., social anxiety total score, and social avoidance and distress specific to new peers or situations and general situations) than aggressive or nondeviant children. Implications of the present findings and directions for future research are discussed.161 p.enPsychology, Developmental.Thesis