A Michele Lease
Biographic Data
| ID | 122692 |
|---|---|
| NAME | A Michele Lease |
| GIVEN NAMES | A Michele |
| FAMILY NAME | Lease |
| SIGNATURE | LEASE A M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Georgia |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1496-2369 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 132 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Belief in the Importance of Belonging Mitigates the Negative Effects of Unsociable Withdrawal
Given the established importance of engaging in satisfactory peer relationships, we examined children who withdraw from peer interaction due to a preference for playing alone. Hypotheses addressed the degree to which belief in the importance of belonging moderates the relation between unsociable behavior and social adjustment. Data from 473 fourth and fifth graders were used to assess peer perceptions of unsociable behavior. Children reported on …
The Role of Rejection Sensitivity and Relational Victimization Within the Friendship Group on Conformity Intentions
The present study investigated the role of rejection sensitivity (i.e., rejection expectancy, anxious anticipation) and exposure to relational victimization within the friendship group in conformity intentions. For 353 fourth and fifth grade students, self-reported friendship groups were used with peer nomination procedures to assess experienced and witnessed relational victimization from friendship group members. Participants completed a rejecti…
Divergence of children’s friendships and intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation
As peers become a major part of children's social life, children seek out and provide support for each other when experiencing strong emotions. We examined children's intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation (IER; children's emotion regulation support seeking from peers) and extrinsic IER (regulation strategies peers provide to help regulate emotion). We examined the extent to which (a) the peers whom children turn to for intrinsic IER diverge …
Individual difference in perceptions of social structure
This study examined the extent to which social standing based on reputation (i.e., popularity), affective regard (i.e., peer acceptance and peer rejection), and affiliation‐network centrality (i.e., degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality), in addition to gender and grade in school, predicted children's accuracy in detecting affiliation patterns within peer networks. Third through fifth‐grade students ( n = 400) were from three semi‐rural e…
Characteristics of academically-influential children
Perceived influence of close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers
This study examined two types of influence (reputational and personal) children perceive from different sources (i.e., close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers). Participants included 455 third through fifth grade students. A quadratic assignment procedure was used wherein children's peer nominations of the source of influence were correlated with their nominations of the type of influence. Findings suggested that children perceive pers…
Effects of achievement motivation, social identity, and peer group norms on academic conformity
Exploring Ethnic Variation in Preadolescent Aggressive Girls’ Social, Psychological, and Academic Functioning
The authors examined whether the adjustment patterns of socially and overtly aggressive preadolescent girls, ages 9 to 11 years, from rural communities differed by ethnicity. Students were administered a series of questionnaires to assess the degree to which girls engaged in various forms of aggression and to assess aggressive girls’ social, psychological, and academic functioning. Four clusters of girls—nonaggressive, socially aggressive, and mo…
The Impact of Clique Membership on Children's Social Behavior and Status Nominations
The impact of children's clique membership on their peer nominations for social behaviors and status was examined in a sample of 455 third‐ through fifth‐grade children. Social identity theory (SIT) and children's peer group affiliation and context served as primary conceptual frameworks for this investigation. As suggested by SIT, results indicated that children displayed favorable views toward their own cliquemates, nominating cliquemates more …
Perceived organizational structure for teacher liking
A Comparison of Majority‐race Children With and Without a Minority‐race Friend
Majority‐race (black or white) 1 elementary school children with and without a minority friend (black or white) in their classroom were compared on measures of social, behavioral, and affective characteristics. Analyses focused on 260 4th through 6th grade students who were racial majorities in their classrooms and had at least one reciprocated friendship in the classroom‐based peer group. Overall, the results were consistent with the scenario th…
Distance from Peers in the Group's Perceived Organizational Structure
The relation between perceived dissimilarity to peers, assessed with replicated multidimensional scaling (RMDS), and a host of peer-reported characteristics was examined with data collected from 478 students from 26 fourth-grade through sixth-grade classrooms. Three hypotheses as to why a student might be perceived as dissimilar to peers were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived dissimilarity was related positively …
Assessing Children's Representations of their Peer Group Using a Multidimensional Scaling Technique
The goal of this research was to examine whether multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) is a potentially reliable and valid method for assessing children's perceptions of their peer group. A total of 162 fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in two studies. MDS-derived depictions of the peer group were generated based on children's unconstrained (i.e., implicit) similarity judgments of same-sex dyads in their peer group. Overall, fit indices ind…
Children's Social Constructions of Popularity
Children's social constructions of popularity were assessed with perceived popularity nominations (i.e., ‘Who are the most [least] popular students?’) in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Correlational and group‐difference analyses demonstrated that perceived popularity is moderately and positively related to sociometric popularity and social dominance. Perceived popular girls were viewed as prosocial, bri…
Dimensions of Social Status in Preadolescent Peer Groups
A multidimensional, interdisciplinary model of social status was developed and examined in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Participants were clustered into seven subtypes (i.e. , High Status, Perceived Popular/Dominant, Well‐Liked/Dominant, Average, Low Dominant/Unpopular, Disliked , and Low Status ) based on the dimensions of likability, perceived popularity, and social dominance emphasized, respectivel…
Position in the Peer Group’s Perceived Organizational Structure
Position in the perceived peer group organization was assessed using a multidimensional scaling strategy and was compared with measures of social status and mutual friendship in a sample of 404 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Perceived organization position was correlated significantly to social preference, like-most nominations, and like-least nominations but not to social impact. Furthermore, peer group members who were marginal in t…
Ecological interventions and the process of change for prevention
Considers a preventive intervention effort designed to modify the characteristics and regularities of the school environment so as to enhance the expectations conveyed to high risk students. Employing this case effort (Weinstein et al., 1991) as a base, several issues are highlighted that deserve greater attention in the design, implementation, assessment, and reporting of other preventively-focused social interventions. These issues include: (1)…
Children's Social Constructions of Popularity
Children's social constructions of popularity were assessed with perceived popularity nominations (i.e., ‘Who are the most [least] popular students?’) in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Correlational and group‐difference analyses demonstrated that perceived popularity is moderately and positively related to sociometric popularity and social dominance. Perceived popular girls were viewed as prosocial, bri…
Dimensions of Social Status in Preadolescent Peer Groups
A multidimensional, interdisciplinary model of social status was developed and examined in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Participants were clustered into seven subtypes (i.e. , High Status, Perceived Popular/Dominant, Well‐Liked/Dominant, Average, Low Dominant/Unpopular, Disliked , and Low Status ) based on the dimensions of likability, perceived popularity, and social dominance emphasized, respectivel…
A Comparison of Majority‐race Children With and Without a Minority‐race Friend
Majority‐race (black or white) 1 elementary school children with and without a minority friend (black or white) in their classroom were compared on measures of social, behavioral, and affective characteristics. Analyses focused on 260 4th through 6th grade students who were racial majorities in their classrooms and had at least one reciprocated friendship in the classroom‐based peer group. Overall, the results were consistent with the scenario th…
Position in the Peer Group’s Perceived Organizational Structure
Position in the perceived peer group organization was assessed using a multidimensional scaling strategy and was compared with measures of social status and mutual friendship in a sample of 404 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Perceived organization position was correlated significantly to social preference, like-most nominations, and like-least nominations but not to social impact. Furthermore, peer group members who were marginal in t…
Perceived influence of close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers
This study examined two types of influence (reputational and personal) children perceive from different sources (i.e., close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers). Participants included 455 third through fifth grade students. A quadratic assignment procedure was used wherein children's peer nominations of the source of influence were correlated with their nominations of the type of influence. Findings suggested that children perceive pers…
Distance from Peers in the Group's Perceived Organizational Structure
The relation between perceived dissimilarity to peers, assessed with replicated multidimensional scaling (RMDS), and a host of peer-reported characteristics was examined with data collected from 478 students from 26 fourth-grade through sixth-grade classrooms. Three hypotheses as to why a student might be perceived as dissimilar to peers were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived dissimilarity was related positively …
Assessing Children's Representations of their Peer Group Using a Multidimensional Scaling Technique
The goal of this research was to examine whether multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) is a potentially reliable and valid method for assessing children's perceptions of their peer group. A total of 162 fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in two studies. MDS-derived depictions of the peer group were generated based on children's unconstrained (i.e., implicit) similarity judgments of same-sex dyads in their peer group. Overall, fit indices ind…
Effects of achievement motivation, social identity, and peer group norms on academic conformity
Perceived organizational structure for teacher liking
Ecological interventions and the process of change for prevention
Considers a preventive intervention effort designed to modify the characteristics and regularities of the school environment so as to enhance the expectations conveyed to high risk students. Employing this case effort (Weinstein et al., 1991) as a base, several issues are highlighted that deserve greater attention in the design, implementation, assessment, and reporting of other preventively-focused social interventions. These issues include: (1)…
Individual difference in perceptions of social structure
This study examined the extent to which social standing based on reputation (i.e., popularity), affective regard (i.e., peer acceptance and peer rejection), and affiliation‐network centrality (i.e., degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality), in addition to gender and grade in school, predicted children's accuracy in detecting affiliation patterns within peer networks. Third through fifth‐grade students ( n = 400) were from three semi‐rural e…
Characteristics of academically-influential children
Exploring Ethnic Variation in Preadolescent Aggressive Girls’ Social, Psychological, and Academic Functioning
The authors examined whether the adjustment patterns of socially and overtly aggressive preadolescent girls, ages 9 to 11 years, from rural communities differed by ethnicity. Students were administered a series of questionnaires to assess the degree to which girls engaged in various forms of aggression and to assess aggressive girls’ social, psychological, and academic functioning. Four clusters of girls—nonaggressive, socially aggressive, and mo…
The Impact of Clique Membership on Children's Social Behavior and Status Nominations
The impact of children's clique membership on their peer nominations for social behaviors and status was examined in a sample of 455 third‐ through fifth‐grade children. Social identity theory (SIT) and children's peer group affiliation and context served as primary conceptual frameworks for this investigation. As suggested by SIT, results indicated that children displayed favorable views toward their own cliquemates, nominating cliquemates more …
Ecological interventions and the process of change for prevention
Considers a preventive intervention effort designed to modify the characteristics and regularities of the school environment so as to enhance the expectations conveyed to high risk students. Employing this case effort (Weinstein et al., 1991) as a base, several issues are highlighted that deserve greater attention in the design, implementation, assessment, and reporting of other preventively-focused social interventions. These issues include: (1)…
Position in the Peer Group’s Perceived Organizational Structure
Position in the perceived peer group organization was assessed using a multidimensional scaling strategy and was compared with measures of social status and mutual friendship in a sample of 404 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students. Perceived organization position was correlated significantly to social preference, like-most nominations, and like-least nominations but not to social impact. Furthermore, peer group members who were marginal in t…
Children's Social Constructions of Popularity
Children's social constructions of popularity were assessed with perceived popularity nominations (i.e., ‘Who are the most [least] popular students?’) in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Correlational and group‐difference analyses demonstrated that perceived popularity is moderately and positively related to sociometric popularity and social dominance. Perceived popular girls were viewed as prosocial, bri…
Dimensions of Social Status in Preadolescent Peer Groups
A multidimensional, interdisciplinary model of social status was developed and examined in a sample of 487 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade elementary school students. Participants were clustered into seven subtypes (i.e. , High Status, Perceived Popular/Dominant, Well‐Liked/Dominant, Average, Low Dominant/Unpopular, Disliked , and Low Status ) based on the dimensions of likability, perceived popularity, and social dominance emphasized, respectivel…
Distance from Peers in the Group's Perceived Organizational Structure
The relation between perceived dissimilarity to peers, assessed with replicated multidimensional scaling (RMDS), and a host of peer-reported characteristics was examined with data collected from 478 students from 26 fourth-grade through sixth-grade classrooms. Three hypotheses as to why a student might be perceived as dissimilar to peers were examined. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived dissimilarity was related positively …
Assessing Children's Representations of their Peer Group Using a Multidimensional Scaling Technique
The goal of this research was to examine whether multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) is a potentially reliable and valid method for assessing children's perceptions of their peer group. A total of 162 fourth- and fifth-grade students participated in two studies. MDS-derived depictions of the peer group were generated based on children's unconstrained (i.e., implicit) similarity judgments of same-sex dyads in their peer group. Overall, fit indices ind…
A Comparison of Majority‐race Children With and Without a Minority‐race Friend
Majority‐race (black or white) 1 elementary school children with and without a minority friend (black or white) in their classroom were compared on measures of social, behavioral, and affective characteristics. Analyses focused on 260 4th through 6th grade students who were racial majorities in their classrooms and had at least one reciprocated friendship in the classroom‐based peer group. Overall, the results were consistent with the scenario th…
Perceived organizational structure for teacher liking
The Impact of Clique Membership on Children's Social Behavior and Status Nominations
The impact of children's clique membership on their peer nominations for social behaviors and status was examined in a sample of 455 third‐ through fifth‐grade children. Social identity theory (SIT) and children's peer group affiliation and context served as primary conceptual frameworks for this investigation. As suggested by SIT, results indicated that children displayed favorable views toward their own cliquemates, nominating cliquemates more …
Exploring Ethnic Variation in Preadolescent Aggressive Girls’ Social, Psychological, and Academic Functioning
The authors examined whether the adjustment patterns of socially and overtly aggressive preadolescent girls, ages 9 to 11 years, from rural communities differed by ethnicity. Students were administered a series of questionnaires to assess the degree to which girls engaged in various forms of aggression and to assess aggressive girls’ social, psychological, and academic functioning. Four clusters of girls—nonaggressive, socially aggressive, and mo…
Effects of achievement motivation, social identity, and peer group norms on academic conformity
Perceived influence of close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers
This study examined two types of influence (reputational and personal) children perceive from different sources (i.e., close friends, well-liked peers, and popular peers). Participants included 455 third through fifth grade students. A quadratic assignment procedure was used wherein children's peer nominations of the source of influence were correlated with their nominations of the type of influence. Findings suggested that children perceive pers…
Characteristics of academically-influential children
Individual difference in perceptions of social structure
This study examined the extent to which social standing based on reputation (i.e., popularity), affective regard (i.e., peer acceptance and peer rejection), and affiliation‐network centrality (i.e., degree, betweenness, and closeness centrality), in addition to gender and grade in school, predicted children's accuracy in detecting affiliation patterns within peer networks. Third through fifth‐grade students ( n = 400) were from three semi‐rural e…
Divergence of children’s friendships and intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation
As peers become a major part of children's social life, children seek out and provide support for each other when experiencing strong emotions. We examined children's intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation (IER; children's emotion regulation support seeking from peers) and extrinsic IER (regulation strategies peers provide to help regulate emotion). We examined the extent to which (a) the peers whom children turn to for intrinsic IER diverge …
The Role of Rejection Sensitivity and Relational Victimization Within the Friendship Group on Conformity Intentions
The present study investigated the role of rejection sensitivity (i.e., rejection expectancy, anxious anticipation) and exposure to relational victimization within the friendship group in conformity intentions. For 353 fourth and fifth grade students, self-reported friendship groups were used with peer nomination procedures to assess experienced and witnessed relational victimization from friendship group members. Participants completed a rejecti…
Belief in the Importance of Belonging Mitigates the Negative Effects of Unsociable Withdrawal
Given the established importance of engaging in satisfactory peer relationships, we examined children who withdraw from peer interaction due to a preference for playing alone. Hypotheses addressed the degree to which belief in the importance of belonging moderates the relation between unsociable behavior and social adjustment. Data from 473 fourth and fifth graders were used to assess peer perceptions of unsociable behavior. Children reported on …
Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Developmental psychology (14 works) · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression (11 works) · Peer group (7 works) · Perception (6 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (4 works) · Friendship (4 works)