Social metaperception in first grade primary education. Gender differences.

Abstract

Being aware of the attraction and rejection that one arouses in classmates is essential to be able to adjust one’s behavior during peer interactions. The objective of this study is to know the errors of underestimation and overestimation that children make when identifying the peers who accept or reject them. These errors can be of four types: positive and negative underestimation, positive and negative overestimation.To underestimate is to omit mentioning being nominated by a certain peer, positively or negatively. Inversely, overestimation consists in believing that one has been nominated by a certain peer, positively or negatively, when in reality that peer has not done so.The sample used consisted of 809 children (51.3% girls), who answered a sociometric nominations questionnaire at the beginning of first grade of primary education (Average age: 6.4 years). Boys and girls were classified sociometrically into average, preferred, rejected, controversial and neglected children.The results indicate high percentages of errors of social metaperceptions, both in boys and girls. However, gender differences are observed: girls display less negative underestimation than boys. In addition, the frequencies of errors committed by boys and girls vary depending on the sociometric type. In general, in the four types of errors, the percentages of errors committed by girls are lower than those committed by boys, regardless of their sociometric status. At this young age, it seems that girls perceive more accurately, or know better how to interpret social cues than boys. More specifically, it seems that girls are more sensitive to peer rejection signs, which makes them fail less than boys in omission of rejecters.

Keywords

• relaciones entre iguales
• metapercepciones
• sobreestimación, subestimación
• primero de educación primaria
• chicas