Relationship–intrapersonal and relationship–interpersonal correlations
To test whether children’s physical distance to a specific classmate was associated with likeability
and popularity, the relationship–intrapersonal and relationship–interpersonal correlations were
examined. The relationship–intrapersonal correlation tested whether distance was associated with
liking and popularity ratings given. These correlations showed that if a child sat closer to a classmate
at Time 1, the child rated the classmate higher on likeability and popularity concurrently but not at
Time 2 (see Table 2). At Time 2, a shorter distance to a specific classmate was related to a higher likeability
rating but not to a higher popularity rating. Thus, when classmates sat closer to each other, they
liked each other more throughout the school year. Yet, they only perceived each other as more popular
at the beginning of the year. Because the distance from Child A to Child B is identical to the distance
from Child B to Child A, the relationship–intrapersonal correlations were the same as the relationship–
interpersonal correlations and are interpreted in the same way.