Do Adolescents Adopt the Prosocial Behaviors of the Classmates They Like? A Social Network Analysis on Prosocial Contagion.

While the influence of high-status peers on maladaptive behaviors is well-documented, socialization processes of prosocial behavior through high-status peers remain understudied. This study examined whether adolescents' prosocial behavior was influenced by the prosocial behavior of the peers they liked and whether this effect was stronger when the peers they liked were also well-liked by their classmates. Three waves of data, six months apart, were collected among Chilean early adolescents who completed peer nominations and ratings at Time 1 (n = 294, Mage = 13.29, SD = 0.62; 55.1% male), Time 2 (n = 282), and Time 3 (n = 275). Longitudinal social network analyses showed that adolescents adopted the prosocial behavior of the classmates they liked - especially if these classmates were well-liked by peers in general. In addition, adolescents low in likeability were more susceptible to this influence than adolescents high in likeability. The influence resulted both in increases and - especially - decreases in prosocial behavior, depending on the level of prosociality of the liked peer. Findings suggest that likeability represents an important aspect of peer status that may be crucial for understanding the significance of peer influence with respect to prosocial behaviors during adolescence. Pre-Registration: https://osf.io/u4pxm .

The role of academic performance, prosocial behaviour and friendships on adolescents' preferred studying partners: A longitudinal social network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Peers constitute an important developmental context for adolescent academic behaviour providing support and resources to either promote or discourage attitudes and behaviours that contribute to school success. When looking for academic help, students may prefer specific partners based on their social goals regarding academic performance. AIMS: Based on the social goals for wanting to achieve academically (e.g., studying to be with friends, increasing/maintaining their own social status), we examine the extent to which adolescents' selection of preferred academic partners (with whom they would like to study) is driven by peers' academic performance, prosocial behaviour and friendships. Moreover, as high-achieving students play an important role in academic settings, whether they are more likely to prefer to study with similar high-achieving peers and friends was examined. SAMPLE: A total of 537 seventh-grade students from 13 classes over three waves. METHODS: Longitudinal social network analyses (RSiena). RESULTS: Adolescents were more likely to select high achievers, friends and prosocial peers as preferred academic partners. Furthermore, high achievers were more likely to choose other high achievers and friends as preferred academic partners. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents are likely to prefer as study partners someone they can learn from and who is more approachable, cooperative and friendly. Regarding high achievers, they would choose not only academic partners with similar academic interests and motivations to help them boost their academic achievement but also classmates with whom they like to spend time and share personal issues.

Bidirectional Associations of Prosocial Behavior with Peer Acceptance and Rejection in Adolescence.

As most studies on the link between peer status and prosocial behavior are cross-sectional, conducted with children, and operationalize status as the difference between acceptance and rejection, it remains unclear whether peer acceptance and rejection are consequences or prerequisites of prosocial behavior in adolescence. To fill this gap, this study examines the bidirectional associations of prosocial behavior with peer acceptance and peer rejection with data collected at 3 time points, 6 months apart, in a sample of 660 early Chilean adolescents (M = 12.94, SD = 0.62; 55.1% boys). Cross-lagged panel analyses showed that prosocial behavior positively predicted future peer acceptance, whereas peer acceptance had no significant effect on future prosocial behavior. The association between rejection and prosocial behavior was negative and bidirectional between Time 1 and Time 2. When a new academic year began, between Time 2 and Time 3, prosocial behavior negatively predicted rejection, whereas rejection in the previous grade level was positively associated with prosocial behavior at the beginning of the next grade. Multi-group panel analyses did not detect significant differences between boys and girls in the cross-lagged associations of prosociality with peer acceptance and peer rejection. The results suggest that acting prosocially can make adolescents better liked by their peers and highlight the possible importance of the transition to a new academic year for the prosocial behavior of previously rejected students. Implications for future research on peer relations are discussed.

You May Have My Help but Not Necessarily My Care: The Effect of Social Class and Empathy on Prosociality.

Previous research has focused on the relation between social class and prosocial behavior. However, this relation is yet unclear. In this work, we shed light on this issue by considering the effect of the level of empathy and the social class of the recipient of help on two types of prosociality, namely helping and caring. In one experimental study, we found that for high-class participants, empathy had a positive effect on helping, regardless of the recipient's social class. However, empathy had no effect for low-class participants. When it comes to caring, empathy had a positive effect for both high and low-class participants, but only when the recipient of help belonged to the same social class. This highlights that empathy by itself is not sufficient to promote cooperative relations and that the social class of the recipient of help should be taken into account to shed light on this issue.

The role of perspective-taking and low social class prejudice on cross-ethnic friendship formation.

Cross-ethnic friendships offer a unique opportunity for improving intergroup relations and reduce prejudice, yet ethnic segregation of friendship networks is often seen as a major obstacle to the integration of immigrant students in educational contexts. This article examines the role of perspective-taking abilities and prejudice towards low social class peers on the probability of cross-ethnic friendships in a sample of 242 students from five multicultural classrooms in Chile (Mage = 12.3; SD = 0.69, 45% girls). It was expected that students who reported high levels of perspective-taking abilities and low levels of prejudice towards low social class peers were more likely to form and maintain cross-ethnic friendships. Longitudinal network analysis (RSiena) was used to examine these hypotheses, confirming the role of both variables in fostering (and reducing) friendships among Chilean and immigrant adolescents. Results are discussed in light of an intersectional framework between social class and ethnicity. Implications for social-emotional interventions in multicultural educational contexts are also discussed.

The Interplay of Adolescents' Aggression and Victimization with Friendship and Antipathy Networks within an Educational Prosocial Intervention.

How the interplay between peer relationships and behaviors unfolds and how this differs between classrooms is an understudied topic. This study examined whether adolescents befriend or dislike peers whom they consider as aggressor or victim and whether these results differ in classrooms that received an intervention to promote prosocial behavior compared to classrooms without the intervention. The sample was composed of 659 seventh graders (Mage = 12.32; 48% girls) from nine intervention and seven control classrooms in eight schools in Santiago, Chile. It was hypothesized that adolescents in intervention classrooms would be less befriended and more disliked by classmates who considered them as aggressors, and more befriended and less disliked by classmates who considered them as victims, compared to control classrooms. Longitudinal multiplex social network analyses (RSiena) indicate that antipathies toward peers considered as aggressive and victimized were significantly lower in intervention classrooms than in control classrooms, but no significant differences were found for friendships. These findings suggest that the impact of an educational intervention may go beyond changing individual behavior and extend to the way peer relations develop in classrooms.

Classroom ability composition and the role of academic performance and school misconduct in the formation of academic and friendship networks.

This paper examined the association between friendship and academic networks and how the connections these networks have with academic performance and school misconduct differ when comparing three types of classrooms where students were grouped based on their academic ability (i.e., high-, low-, and mixed-ability). The sample was composed of 528 seventh to ninth graders (Mage = 15; 64.1% girls) from 12 classrooms (four in each category of ability grouping) across two waves in five schools in Chile. The effects of academic performance and school misconduct on receiving academic and friendship nominations were examined, as well as the interplay between academic and friendship relationships. Furthermore, the extent to which similarity in adolescents' academic performance and school misconduct contributed to the formation and maintenance of academic and friendship relationships was examined. Sex, socioeconomic status, and structural network features were also taken into account. Longitudinal social network analyses (RSiena) indicated that (1) in high-ability classrooms students chose high-achieving peers as academic partners; (2) in high-ability classrooms students avoided deviant peers (i.e., those high in school misconduct) as academic partners; and (3) academic relationships led to friendships, and vice versa, in both high- and low-ability classrooms. Whereas the interplay of friendship and academic relationships was similar in high- and low-ability classrooms, the formation and maintenance of academic networks unfolded differently in these two types of classrooms.

Ternary nanocomposites of reduced graphene oxide, polyaniline and hexaniobate: hierarchical architecture and high polaron formation.

Nanostructured systems, such as nanocomposites, are potential materials for usage in different fields since synergistic effects of their components at the nanoscale domain may improve physical/chemical properties when compared to individual phases. We report here the preparation and characterisation of a new nanocomposite composed of polyaniline (PANI), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and hexaniobate (hexNb) nanoscrolls. Atomic force microscopy images show an interesting architecture of rGO flakes coated with PANI and decorated by hexNb. Such features are attributed to the high stability of the rGO flakes prepared at room temperature. Detailed characterisation by X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies indicates an intermediate reduction degree for the rGO component and high doping degree of the PANI chains compared to the neat polymer. The latter feature can be attributed to cooperative effects of PANI chains with rGO flakes and hexNb nanoscrolls, which promote conformational changes of the polymer backbone (secondary doping). Spectroscopic and electrochemistry data indicate a synergetic effect on the ternary nanocomposite, which is attributed to interactions between the components resulting from the morphological aspects. Therefore, the new nanocomposite presents promising properties for development of new materials in the film form on substrates for sensing or corrosion protection for example.

Ethnic Identity Development and Acculturation Preferences Among Minority and Majority Youth: Norms and Contact.

This article tests a longitudinal model of the antecedents and consequences of changes in identification with indigenous (Mapuche) among indigenous and nonindigenous youth in Chilean school contexts over a 6-month period (633 nonindigenous and 270 Mapuche students, Mages  = 12.47 and 12.80 years, respectively). Results revealed that in-group norms supporting contact and quality of intergroup contact at Time 1 predicted student's changes in Mapuche identification at Time 2, which in turn predicted changes in support for adoption of Chilean culture and maintenance of Mapuche culture at Time 2; some of the relationships between these variables were found to be moderated by age and ethnicity. Conceptual and policy implications are addressed in the Discussion.

How School Norms, Peer Norms, and Discrimination Predict Interethnic Experiences Among Ethnic Minority and Majority Youth.

This research tests how perceived school and peer norms predict interethnic experiences among ethnic minority and majority youth. With studies in Chile (654 nonindigenous and 244 Mapuche students, M = 11.20 and 11.31 years) and the United States (468 non-Hispanic White and 126 Latino students, M = 11.66 and 11.68 years), cross-sectional results showed that peer norms predicted greater comfort in intergroup contact, interest in cross-ethnic friendships, and higher contact quality, whereas longitudinal results showed that school norms predicted greater interest in cross-ethnic friendships over time. Distinct effects of school and peer norms were also observed for ethnic minority and majority youth in relation to perceived discrimination, suggesting differences in how they experience cross-ethnic relations within school environments.

The Protective Role of Friendship Quality on the Wellbeing of Adolescents Victimized by Peers.

Although studies on peer relations acknowledge that having friends constitutes a protective factor against being victimized by peers at school, it is not enough for this factor to operate. The quality of these friendships does play a role too. The present study explored the moderating role of friendship-quality dimensions (closeness, support, disclosure, and affection) on peer victimization and wellbeing. 614 young adolescents (4th to 6th graders, 50.1 % girls) were assessed three times over 1 year. Analyses were conducted to determine moderation effects, differentiated by gender. Results showed that only disclosure and support interact with victimization and affect wellbeing, especially for girls. Implications for studying peer relations, acknowledging gender differences, are discussed.

Why do early adolescents bully? Exploring the influence of prestige norms on social and psychological motives to bully.

The present study examines psychological (e.g., Machiavellianism) and social (i.e., perceived popularity) motives for bullying, exploring the effects that classroom prestige norms for physical and relational aggression may have on these associations. A longitudinal multilevel study design was adopted, which included 978 5th to 7th graders from four Chilean schools. Participants were assessed three times over one year on self reports on bullying and Machiavellianism, and peer reports on popularity. Classroom prestige norms were calculated as the within classroom association between peer perceived coolness and aggression. Both Machiavellianism and perceived popularity were associated with bullying. However, hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that Machiavellianism, but not perceived popularity, predicted bullying after controlling for baseline scores. Classroom prestige norms for relational aggression increased the association between Machiavellianism and bullying. Separate models were tested for boys and girls, showing no differences. Results are discussed in light of conceptual and methodological considerations.

What is popular? Distinguishing bullying and aggression as status correlates within specific peer normative contexts

Abstract This study tested social status correlates of aggression and bullying and how these are influenced by peer groups' normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior among 1165 fourth, fifth and sixth graders in Chile. Associations between aggression and popularity (positive) and social preference (negative) were confirmed, whereas bullying was negatively associated with both dimensions. Normative beliefs about aggression and prosocial behavior were assessed at the group level, while social status was assessed at the classroom level through peer nominations. Hierarchical Linear Analyses showed that in groups with a higher value associated with aggression, classmates rated aggressive peers as less popular but also less disliked. The status correlates of bullying remained unaffected by peer normative beliefs. The discussion focuses on the social function of aggression as compared to the social sanction associated with bullying, and on the specificity of these associations at different layers of the social ecology. (AU)

Aggressive and Prosocial? Examining Latent Profiles of Behavior, Social Status, Machiavellianism, and Empathy.

The present study tests whether aggression and prosocial behavior can coexist as part of a socially functional and adaptive profile among early adolescents. Using a person-centered approach, the study examined early adolescents' likelihood of being classified into profiles involving aggressive and prosocial behavior, social status (popular, liked, cool), machiavellianism, and both affective and cognitive components of empathy (empathic concern and perspective taking, respectively). Participants were 1170 early adolescents (10-12 years of age; 52% male) from four schools in metropolitan Santiago, Chile. Through latent profile analysis, three profiles emerged (normative-low aggressive, high prosocial-low aggressive, and high aggressive-high popular status). Both empathic concern and perspective taking were higher in the high prosocial-low aggressive profile, whereas the high aggressive-high popular status profile had the lowest scores on both empathy components as well as machiavellianism. No profile emerged where aggressive and prosocial behaviors were found to co-exist, or to be significantly above the mean. The results underscore that aggressive behavior is highly contextual and likely culturally specific, and that the study of behavioral profiles should consider social status as well as socio-emotional adjustment indicators. These complex associations should be taken into consideration when planning prevention and intervention efforts to reduce aggression or school bullying and to promote positive peer relationships.

Programa para el Bienestar y Aprendizaje Socioemocional en estudiantes de tercero y cuarto grado: descripción y evaluación de impa / Learning and wellbeing program for third and fourth grade students: Impact description and evaluation

El presente trabajo describe un programa para favorecer el bienestar y aprendizaje socioemocional en estudiantes de tercer y cuarto año de Enseñanza General Básica, y su evaluación de impacto. Los fundamentos conceptuales del programa para el Bienestar y Aprendizaje Socioemocional se apoyan en la perspectiva del aprendizaje socioemocional, que integra factores tanto en el ámbito individual como del contexto. El programa enfatiza el desarrollo de vínculos interpersonales de calidad y el desarrollo de las competencias necesarias para ello. A través de un diseño cuasiexperimental que incluyó a 647 estudiantes de tercero y cuarto grado en cinco colegios particulares subvencionados de Santiago, Chile, la evaluación con análisis de la varianza de medidas repetidas mostró un impacto del programa en la autoestima de los estudiantes percibida por sus profesores (medida a través del test de autoestima). Asimismo, el programa mitigó el descenso en la percepción del clima escolar según la Escala de Clima Social, en indicadores de integración social, y en el rendimiento escolar, que se observó en el grupo control. Se discuten los resultados del programa y sus posibles implicancias para el desarrollo de intervenciones en este campo.

This paper presents a program to foster socioemotional learning and wellbeing in 3rd and 4th graders, and its impact on evaluation. The program is conceptually grounded in the socioemotional learning perspective, which integrates factors both at the individual and contextual levels. Development of quality interpersonal bonding is emphasized, as is the development of the necessary socioemotional skills to achieve this goal. A quasi experimental design was implemented which included tudents in five private subsidized schools in Santiago, Chile. Evaluation with Anova analysis of repeated measures showed an impact of the program on students' self-esteem reported by the teacher (measured with TAE). Seemingly, the program mitigated the decrease in the perception of school social climate (measured with ECLIS), in social integration, and in academic performance, as observed in the control group. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the development of interventions in this field.

Rendimiento académico y las dimensiones personal y contextual del aprendizaje socioemocional: evidencias de su asociación en estudiantes chilenos / Academic Performance and Personal and Contextual Dimensions of Socioemotional Learning: Evidence of its Association in Chilean Students

El presente estudio respalda la creciente evidencia empírica sobre la relación entre la dimensión socioemocional y el rendimiento académico. Mediante análisis de correlación y regresión se testeó en estudiantes chilenos de educación básica la asociación entre el rendimiento académico y las dimensiones individual (autoestima y bienestar socioemocional) y contextual (percepción del clima social escolar) del aprendizaje socioemocional. Bienestar socioemocional y percepción del clima social escolar respecto a relaciones de pares y lugares de la escuela, mostraron una relación significativa con el aumento en el desempeño académico. Los hallazgos son discutidos en términos de sus implicancias para la práctica educativa y para futuras investigaciones.

This study supports the growing empirical evidence regarding the relationship between the socioemotional dimension and academic achievement. Through correlation and regression analyses the associations between individual (self-steem and socioemotional well-being) and contextual (perception of the school social climate) features of socioemotional learning and academic success in Chilean elementary students were tested. Socioemotional well-being and perception of school social climate with regards to peer relations and places at school were significantly related to improvements in academic achievement. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for educational practice and future research.

Do physical and relational aggression explain adolescents' friendship selection? The competing roles of network characteristics, gender, and social status.

The role of physical and relational aggression in adolescents' friendship selection was examined in a longitudinal sample of 274 Chilean students from 5th and 6th grade followed over 1 year. Longitudinal social network modeling (SIENA) was used to study selection processes for aggression while influence processes were controlled for. Furthermore, the effects of network characteristics (i.e., reciprocity and transitivity), gender, and social status on friendship selection were examined. The starting assumption of this study was that selection effects based on aggression might have been overestimated in previous research as a result of failing to consider influence processes and alternative characteristics that steer friendship formation. The results show that selection effects of both physical and relational aggression disappeared when network effects, gender, and social status were taken into account. Particularly gender and perceived popularity appeared to be far more important determinants of friendship selection over time than aggression. Moreover, a peer influence effect was only found for relational aggression, and not for physical aggression. These findings suggest that similarity in aggression among befriended adolescents can be considered to be mainly a by-product rather than a leading dimension in friendship selection.

Socio-emotional well-being and academic achievement: evidence from a multilevel approach / Bem-estar sócio-emocional e desempenho acadêmico: evidência desde uma abordagem multinível

Even though social and emotional well-being has been proposed as a main goal of education, its association with academic achievement is usually overlooked, particularly considering that educational institutions are requested to show academic outcomes, and thus their focus is on cognitive development and academic training. This study adopts a multilevel perspective to test this association among Chilean elementary students, considering features at individual (socio-emotional well-being, self esteem, and social integration) and social levels (classroom social climate and social network characteristics). Results show that socio-emotional variables, and particularly teachers' ratings of their students' self esteem, are associated with academic achievement. Interaction effects of individual and contextual variables are presented, and implications for research and interventions are discussed.(AU)

Apesar de que o bem-estar social e emocional tem sido proposto como uma meta principal da educação, sua associação com o desempenho acadêmico geralmente é negligenciado, especialmente considerando que as instituições educacionais são convidados a mostrar os resultados acadêmicos, e, portanto, o foco é no desenvolvimento cognitivo e da formação acadêmica. Este estudo adota uma perspectiva multinível para testar essa associação entre alunos chilenos do ensino fundamental, incluindo características individuais (bem-estar sócio-emocional, auto-estima e integração social) e sociais (clima social da aula e as características de rede social). Os resultados mostram que as variáveis sócio-emocionais, e em especial a percepção de professores da auto-estima de seus alunos, estão associados com desempenho acadêmico. Além disso, efeitos de interação das variáveis individuais e contextuais são apresentados. Implicações para a pesquisa e as intervenções são discutidos.(AU)

Socio-emotional well-being and academic achievement: evidence from a multilevel approach / Bem-estar sócio-emocional e desempenho acadêmico: evidência desde uma abordagem multinível

Even though social and emotional well-being has been proposed as a main goal of education, its association with academic achievement is usually overlooked, particularly considering that educational institutions are requested to show academic outcomes, and thus their focus is on cognitive development and academic training. This study adopts a multilevel perspective to test this association among Chilean elementary students, considering features at individual (socio-emotional well-being, self esteem, and social integration) and social levels (classroom social climate and social network characteristics). Results show that socio-emotional variables, and particularly teachers' ratings of their students' self esteem, are associated with academic achievement. Interaction effects of individual and contextual variables are presented, and implications for research and interventions are discussed.

Apesar de que o bem-estar social e emocional tem sido proposto como uma meta principal da educação, sua associação com o desempenho acadêmico geralmente é negligenciado, especialmente considerando que as instituições educacionais são convidados a mostrar os resultados acadêmicos, e, portanto, o foco é no desenvolvimento cognitivo e da formação acadêmica. Este estudo adota uma perspectiva multinível para testar essa associação entre alunos chilenos do ensino fundamental, incluindo características individuais (bem-estar sócio-emocional, auto-estima e integração social) e sociais (clima social da aula e as características de rede social). Os resultados mostram que as variáveis sócio-emocionais, e em especial a percepção de professores da auto-estima de seus alunos, estão associados com desempenho acadêmico. Além disso, efeitos de interação das variáveis individuais e contextuais são apresentados. Implicações para a pesquisa e as intervenções são discutidos.

Spatio-temporal pattern of cells expressing the clock genes period and timeless and the lineages of period expressing neurons in the embryonic CNS of Drosophila melanogaster.

The initial steps towards the generation of cell diversity in the central nervous system of the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster take place during early phases of embryonic development when a stereotypic population of neural progenitor cells (neuroblasts and midline precursors) is formed in a precise spatial and temporal pattern, and subsequently expresses a particular sequence of genes. The clarification of the positional, temporal and molecular features of the individual progenitor cells in the nerve cord and brain as well as of their specific types of neuronal and/or glial progeny cells forms an essential basis to understand the mechanisms controlling their development. The present study contributes to this effort by tracing the expression of period and timeless, two genes that encode transcription factors with a key role in the molecular mechanism of the biological clock. Using a combination of genetic markers and immunocytochemistry with antibodies specific for period and timeless we define the number, location, origin and lineage of period cells in the nerve cord throughout embryogenesis. We also provide the first description of the expression of timeless in the embryonic central nervous system. We found a major transformation in the number and types of cells that express period and timeless takes place between embryonic and larval life.