Relations between Self-Perceived and Actual Peer Acceptance among Preschool Children

This report describes an exploration of the relations between self-perceived and actual peer acceptance among 31 preschool children, aged 3 to 5 years who were given the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance to measure self-perceived peer acceptance and a sociometric scale to assess actual peer acceptance. Analysis showed a low but significant correlation between perceived peer acceptance and sociometric scores. Children who perceived themselves as well accepted by peers also received higher nomination scores from peers.