Social intelligence and academic achievement as predictors of adolescent popularity.
This study compared the effects of social intelligence and cognitive intelligence, as measured by academic achievement, on adolescent popularity in two school contexts. A distinction was made between sociometric popularity, a measure of acceptance, and perceived popularity, a measure of social dominance. Participants were 512, 14-15 year-old adolescents (56% girls, 44% boys) in vocational and college preparatory schools in Northwestern Europe. Perceived popularity was significantly related to social intelligence, but not to academic achievement, in both contexts. Sociometric popularity was predicted by an interaction between academic achievement and social intelligence, further qualified by school context. Whereas college bound students gained sociometric popularity by excelling both socially and academically, vocational students benefited from doing well either socially or academically, but not in combination. The implications of these findings were discussed.
Meijs
Noortje
N
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, Comeniuslaan 4, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. n.meijs@pwo.ru.nl
Cillessen
Antonius H N
AH
Scholte
Ron H J
RH
Segers
Eliane
E
Spijkerman
Renske
R
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires