An unexpected but consistent finding was the fact that likeability was associated with close proximity
at the beginning of the school year but not during early spring. Findings of Study 1 showed that
when children were seated closer to the borders of the classroom at the beginning of the year, they
were less liked by their peers at that time and 6 months later. However, findings of both Study 1
and Study 2 showed that children who sat more toward the borders of the classroom during February
and March were not liked differently from classmates who sat more toward the center. This could
indicate that distance may be more strongly related to liking when relationships are developing. When
peer relationships are established and classroom norms for status have been determined, seating
arrangements do not seem to affect overall likeability in the classroom. By that time, only dyadic perceptions
of likeability were associated with distance between classmates