Dysregulation of the Norepinephrine Transporter Sustains Cortical Hypodopaminergia and Schizophrenia-Like Behaviors in Neuronal Rictor Null Mice

A novel animal model highlights the link between Akt dysfunction, reduced cortical dopamine function, norepinephrine transporters, and schizophrenia-like behaviors

Multilevel Models and Multidisciplinary Perspectives: Bringing Peer Relations Research Into the Future

The challenge and pleasures of studying child and adolescent peer experiences come from the complexity and the significance of these relationships for development in childhood and adolescence. In spite of the recognized strengths of the current literature on the effects of experiences with peers, research on peer experiences is often limited by an inattention to the effects of the hierarchical structure of the peer system. Experiences with peers are known to be situated in complex and multilevel social contexts. These contexts can be as small (or as focal) as a relationship dyad (e.g., two best friends interacting together), a peer group (e.g., more than two peers interacting together simultaneously), or as large and diverse as the cultural contexts of nation-states. A consequence of this multilevel organization peer research would benefit from the use of models that can account for variables and processes that occur at different levels of social complexity. This multilevel approach would also be multidisciplinary because it would require the integration of constructs typically studied in different scholarly disciplines. We show how a broader and less disciplinarily focused perspective can enrich our understanding of the features and processes of peer experiences

Symmetric core-cohesive blockmodel in preschool children's interaction networks.

Researchers have extensively studied the social mechanisms that drive the formation of networks observed among preschool children. However, less attention has been given to global network structures in terms of blockmodels. A blockmodel is a network where the nodes are groups of equivalent units (according to links to others) from a studied network. It is already shown that mutuality, popularity, assortativity, and different types of transitivity mechanisms can lead the global network structure to the proposed asymmetric core-cohesive blockmodel. Yet, they did not provide any evidence that such a global network structure actually appears in any empirical data. In this paper, the symmetric version of the core-cohesive blockmodel type is proposed. This blockmodel type consists of three or more groups of units. The units from each group are internally well linked to each other while those from different groups are not linked to each other. This is true for all groups, except one in which the units have mutual links to all other units in the network. In this study, it is shown that the proposed blockmodel type appears in empirical interactional networks collected among preschool children. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that the most often studied social network mechanisms can lead the global network structure to the proposed symmetric blockmodel type. The units' attributes are not considered in this study

Who engages in gender bullying? The role of homophobic name-calling, gender pressure, and gender conformity

This study examines whether bullies’ gender conformity, pressure to conform to gender norms (felt pressure), and experiences of homophobic name-calling are associated with a tendency to bully gender conforming victims (GCV) and gender non-conforming victims (GNCV). Longitudinal changes were analyzed on all peer interactions in an entire 6th-grade cohort over two-time points during the academic year (152 girls and 128 boys). Experiencing homophobic name-calling at Time 1 predicted perpetrating bullying against GNCV at Time 2. Only for boys, one’s own gender conformity predicted bullying GNCV at Time 2. No significant associations with bullying GCV at Time 2 were found. Bullying GNCV may represent a defensive reaction to demonstrate bullies’ own gender conformity. Particularly among male bullies, one’s own gender conformity can affect the selection of victims based on their gender conformity. This study has important implications for the development of interventions to reduce aggressive behaviors against GNCV in middle school

The Association Between Young Adolescent Emotional Adjustment and Peer Affiliations: Making a Case for Gender Diversity Within Peer Relationships

The current investigation uses longitudinal data to begin to understand the correlates of gender integration and youth emotional adjustment. Participants were 207 adolescents (mean age = 11.11 years, 53% female). The results demonstrated that, when compared to only having gender-segregated peer affiliates, gender-integrated peer affiliates, as well as the transition from gender-segregated to gender-integrated peer affiliations from the beginning to the end of the sixth-grade academic year was associated with significantly higher levels of self-esteem. Descriptive data also indicate that gender segregation was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, although the effects on depressive symptomology did not reach traditional levels of statistical significance. The findings highlight the important emotional impact of gender-diverse peer relationships among young adolescents

A comparison of dyadic and social network assessments of peer influence

The present study compares two methods for assessing peer influence: the longitudinal actor–partner interdependence model (L-APIM) and the longitudinal social network analysis (L-SNA) Model. The data were drawn from 1,995 (49% girls and 51% boys) third grade students (M age = 9.68 years). From this sample, L-APIM (n = 206 indistinguishable dyads and n = 187 distinguishable dyads) and L-SNA (n = 1,024 total network members) subsamples were created. Students completed peer nominations and objective assessments of mathematical reasoning in the spring of the third and fourth grades. Patterns of statistical significance differed across analyses. Stable distinguishable and indistinguishable L-APIM dyadic analyses identified reciprocated friend influence such that friends with similar levels of mathematical reasoning influenced one another and friends with higher math reasoning influenced friends with lower math reasoning. L-SNA models with an influence parameter (i.e., average reciprocated alter) comparable to that assessed in L-APIM analyses failed to detect influence effects. Influence effects did emerge, however, with the addition of another, different social network influence parameter (i.e., average alter influence effect). The diverging results may be attributed to differences in the sensitivity of the analyses, their ability to account for structural confounds with selection and influence, the samples included in the analyses, and the relative strength of influence in reciprocated best as opposed to other friendships.peerReviewe

A Comparison of Dyadic and Social Network Assessments of Peer Influence

The present study compares two methods for assessing peer influence: the longitudinal actor–partner interdependence model (L-APIM) and the longitudinal social network analysis (L-SNA) Model. The data were drawn from 1,995 (49% girls and 51% boys) third grade students (M age = 9.68 years). From this sample, L-APIM (n = 206 indistinguishable dyads and n = 187 distinguishable dyads) and L-SNA (n = 1,024 total network members) subsamples were created. Students completed peer nominations and objective assessments of mathematical reasoning in the spring of the third and fourth grades. Patterns of statistical significance differed across analyses. Stable distinguishable and indistinguishable L-APIM dyadic analyses identified reciprocated friend influence such that friends with similar levels of mathematical reasoning influenced one another and friends with higher math reasoning influenced friends with lower math reasoning. L-SNA models with an influence parameter (i.e., average reciprocated alter) comparable to that assessed in L-APIM analyses failed to detect influence effects. Influence effects did emerge, however, with the addition of another, different social network influence parameter (i.e., average alter influence effect). The diverging results may be attributed to differences in the sensitivity of the analyses, their ability to account for structural confounds with selection and influence, the samples included in the analyses, and the relative strength of influence in reciprocated best as opposed to other friendships

Friend Influence and Susceptibility to Influence: Changes in Mathematical Reasoning as a Function of Relative Peer Acceptance and Interest in Mathematics

This study investigated friend influence over mathematics achievement in 202 same-sex friendship dyads (106 girl dyads). Participants were in the third grade (around age 9) at the outset. Each friend completed a questionnaire describing interest in mathematics and a standardized mathematical reasoning assessment. Peer nominations provided a measure of peer acceptance. The results revealed evidence that interest in mathematics moderates both the degree to which the higher-accepted friend was influential and the degree to which the lower-accepted friend was susceptible to influence. Specifically, the third-grade mathematical reasoning of the higher-accepted friend predicted an increase in the mathematical reasoning of the lower-accepted friend from third grade to fourth grade only when one friend was above average on interest in mathematics. These effects held after controlling for maternal support, parental education, friendship duration, friendship group norms, friend similarity on peer acceptance, friend similarity on interest in mathematics, and general academic functioning

Pair programming for middle school students: Does friendship influence academic outcomes?

ABSTRACT Research shows the benefits of pair programming for retention and performance in computing, but little is known about how relationship dynamics influence outcomes. We describe results from our study of middle school students programming games using Alice and pair programming. From our analysis using statistical procedures that take into account the interdependence of pair data, we found evidence for partner influence moderated by the role of confidence over improvements in Alice programming knowledge in friend partnerships but not non-friend partnerships. We discuss implications for researchers and educators