In Search of Mediating Processes: Emotional Cues as Links between Family and Peer Systems.

This study examined children's popularity with peers and the emotional cues that were observed during parent-child interactions. Twenty-eight 4- and 5-year-olds were observed in their preschool classroom and categorized as popular or rejected. The children then participated in a two-person game with each of their parents. The play was videotaped, and facial and vocal cues were coded into 14 emotional and interactional categories. The total number of seconds that each participant displayed the cue in each category was tallied for mothers, fathers, and children. Tallies showed that parents of rejected children displayed more anger and neutral cues than other parents. Parents of popular children displayed more affective instruction cues and apologetic cues. Rejected children showed more neutral cues, and popular children more happy and laughing cues. Anger cues of rejected children correlated to a greater degree with the anger cues of their fathers than with the anger cues of their mothers. (ME)