Preschoolers’ sharing expectations towards friends relate to their kindergarten peer status

Abstract

Recent research has provided evidence for a substantial impact of children's peer status on positive and adaptive development. The current study investigated how 3- to 7-year-old preschoolers’ (N = 118) sharing behaviour and sharing expectations towards a friend and a non-friend relate to their popularity among their peers. Children distributed resources between themselves and a friend as well as themselves and a non-friend and predicted another protagonist's behaviour in the same situation. In addition, teachers rated children's problematic behaviour and peers rated children's peer status. Multilevel analysis revealed that preschoolers’ sharing expectations towards their friends but not sharing behaviour predicted their peer status above and beyond the impact of problematic behaviour. Age did not emerge as an independent predictor. These findings suggest that knowledge about prosociality in the form of sharing expectations is an important aspect in children's adaptive social development and stress the relevance of children's knowledge about the social world for their social life. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Prosocial behaviour in general relates positively to peer status. Problem behaviour relates negatively to peer status. Sharing behaviour and sharing expectations become more selective over the preschool years. What does this study add? Sharing expectations and to a lesser extent sharing behaviour relate to peer status. Sharing expectations predict peer status above and beyond the impact of problem behaviour. Differential sharing expectations predict peer status as well as simple sharing expectations.