Effects of social stimulus value on academic achievement and social competence: A reconsideration of children's first-name characteristics

• Published in: Journal of educational psychology 1984-12, Vol.76 (6), p.1149-1158
• Main Authors: Ford, Martin E, Miura, Irene, Masters, John C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Biological and medical sciences; Developmental psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Miscellaneous; Names; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Social Functioning; Social Skills
• ISSN: 0022-0663; 1939-2176
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-0663.76.6.1149

Tested the hypothesized connection between children's 1st-name characteristics and their academic and social functioning in 2 studies with 24,602 2nd-12th graders. In Study 1, 721 male names and 1,030 female names of 23,878 2nd-21th graders were rated by 9 adults on desirability. Analyses of the degree of association between name frequency and name desirability and 4 measures of academic achievement showed that 1st-name characteristics were unrelated to academic achievement, even in the most extreme cases, so long as a confound was prevented between name frequency or desirability and S's ethnicity. In Study 2, using 724 9th-22th graders, the relationship between S's 1st name characteristics and S's social competence in handling challenging social situations (as judged by peers, teachers, and Ss themselves) was explored. Data show little evidence for an impact of name characteristics in social competence. It is suggested that previous studies that have reported significant positive relationships between name characteristics and indices of personal functioning have focused on name desirability and have not controlled for ethnic status. (40 ref)