The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between young children's sociometric status and their communication patterns. A total of 43 middle class children enrolled in three preschool classes were asked to select three children they liked to play with (measure of social acceptance) and three they did not like to play with (measure of social rejection). Social acceptance and rejection scores were used to divide the children into four sociometric groups: popular (high acceptance and low rejection), rejected (low acceptance and high rejection), controversial (high acceptance and high rejection), and neglected (low acceptance and low rejection). Children were then observed three times in a social play situation with two other children, once as the intruder (entering a dyad already playing together for 10 minutes) and twice as a nonintruder (part of the original dyad). Popular children directed their communications to others more clearly than did other groups. Also, when they were intruders, they were more likely to respond contingently to others than were the other groups. Rejected children were least likely to direct communications clearly and respond contingently to others. (Author)