An Investigation of Children's Perceptions of Dominance Relations

Abstract

The factors which contribute to children's perceptions of dominance are unclear although evidence for dominance hierarchies has been obtained through children's rankings of toughness in their classes. Three potentially influential factors were examined in the present study: who is being ranked (self or other), where the child fits in the class hierarchy (high or low rank), and what terms are used for ranking (“gets own way” or “is toughest”). Fifty-two fourth grade students ranked themselves and their classmates on “own way” and “toughness” and then defined the terms. While the children differentiated the two terms in their definitions, their rankings produced overlapping hierarchies. For both terms, boys were ranked higher than girls. Dominance rankings of self and others varied according to hierarchy position and terms used for dominance behavior. Children in both the high and low groups on the hierarchies overranked themselves on “toughness” relative to class judgments. Both high- and low-group members slightly overranked others on “toughness.” In contrast, high-group members underranked themselves while low-group members overranked themselves in judgments of “own way.” Both groups only slightly underranked others on “own way.” A multidimensional approach to the study of perceived and observed dominance in children is recommended.

Peer persuasion: a study of children's dominance strategies

“…That is, the assessment of dominance among the three groups of individuals was divergent. These results contradict the findings of Pickert and Wall (1981), indicating the need for further research on perceptions of dominance. Sluckin (1980) investigated the existence of dominance hierarchies among preschool children.…”

“…In an analysis of children's perceptions of dominance, Pickert and Wall (1981) conceptually defined dominance as "manipulation and control of other's behavior" (p. 175-6). Dominance was then operationally defined as "toughness" and "Getting one's own way."…”

Aggression and social status: the moderating roles of sex and peer‐valued characteristics

“…In examining these links, we consider perceptions of power and dominance within the peer group as well as indices of perceived popularity and sociometric status. Traditionally, dominance is a term applied to individuals who are able to actively manipulate and influence others' behavior [e.g., Maccoby and Jacklin, 1974;Pickert and Wall, 1981]. Accordingly, we hypothesized that peer perceptions of social power would be more strongly related to perceived popularity than likeability.…”

Affective Bias in Children's Perceptions of Dominance Relationships

“…Each of these investigators found that individual children tended to place themselves higher in the hierarchy tiian did their peers. Pickert and Wall (1981) also found this to be the case for "toughness" for both high-and low-status individuals, although it was only the case for low-status children on "getting own way"; when this latter term was used, high-status children underranked themselves. Besides status, another factor that has been found to add variability to the perceived hierarchies is the sex of the raters and nitees.…”