Peers as Socializing Agents PDF

§ Tuesday’s class (3/12) will be a prerecorded guest lecture on neurodiversity. We will NOT meet in person. § Thursday’s class (3/14) will be the review session for your final exam § Final exam is scheduled for Thursday (3/21), at 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM in Dodd 147 § If you have CAE, please contact the...

§ Tuesday’s class (3/12) will be a prerecorded guest lecture on neurodiversity. We will NOT meet in person. § Thursday’s class (3/14) will be the review session for your final exam § Final exam is scheduled for Thursday (3/21), at 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM in Dodd 147 § If you have CAE, please contact them directly for an alternate exam time § If you have a conflict (eg. another final at the same time) please complete the alternate exam time request form on Canvas by this Friday (3/8) § If you do not complete this form by Friday we will be unable to accommodate your request PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND TA EVALS! We value your feedback! Which positive long-term outcome is associated with those subjected to corporal punishment? A) They are is less likely to engage in aggression. B) They are more likely to engage in immediate compliance. C) They are less likely to be subjected to later abuse. D) They are more likely to have healthy peer relationships. § Peer = one that is of equal standing with another; social equals; operating at similar levels of behavioral complexity § can be different ages § Peers are important source of EQUAL STATUS interactions which can provide § feedback & practice in role taking skills § growth promoting conflicts of viewpoint § practice in compromise § emotional security § training for later romantic relationships § Sociability = ones willingness to engage with others in social interaction & to seek their attention and approval § Infancy & toddlerhood § starting at 6 mos, a bit of interaction with peers § babbling, toy offering, gestures § starting at 1 yr, turn taking § by 18 mos, coordinated interactions (e.g., imitation) § starting at 2 yrs, complementary roles (tag) Play is used to: § master ways of communicating with equals § emotional understanding & trust § practice compromise Parten (1932) § non-social play types § 0-2, decrease w/ age § Unoccupied § observing something in the environment § may be standing in one spot or performing random movements § Solitary § Onlooker Parten (1932) § parallel play (0-2, decrease w/ age) § child plays independently at the same activity as other child(ren) Parten (1932) § associative play (increase w/ age) § child still focused on a separate activity but good amount of § sharing/lending § helping § taking turns § attending to the activities of peers § cooperative play (increase w/ age) § children organize their play and/or activity cooperatively w/ a common goal § differentiate and assign roles Middle Childhood - social play becomes formalized (board games, sports) § Peer acceptance = measure of person’s likability in the eyes of peers § Measured with SOCIOMETRIC TECHNIQUES: ask children who they like & dislike in their class; with whom they want to be friends § correlate with teacher ratings of popularity § results in 5 categories of peer acceptance Category Popular Description Children who receive many positive nominations and few negative nominations. Rejected Children who receive many negative nominations and few positive nominations. Neglected Children who are low in social impact (i.e., they receive few positive or negative nominations). These children are not especially liked or disliked by peers; they simply go unnoticed. Average Children are designated as average if they receive an average number of both positive and negative nominations. Controversial Children who receive many positive and many negative nominations. They are noticed by peers and are liked by a quite a few children and disliked by quite a few others. § Peer status is affected by the child’s: § Attractiveness § Athletic ability § Social behavior § Personality § Cognitions about self and others § Goals when interacting with peers § Parenting style § Peer status is also influenced by the status of the child’s friends § A category of sociometric status that refers to children or adolescents who are viewed positively by many peers and are viewed negatively by few peers § These individuals... § Tend to be skilled at initiating interactions with peers and at maintaining positive relationships § Tend to be cooperative, friendly, sociable, and sensitive to others § Are not prone to intense negative emotions and regulate themselves well § Tend to be less aggressive than average children § Important to differentiate between children who are popular in terms of sociometric measures and those who are perceived by peers as being popular with others § Individuals with high status in the peer group are often labeled “popular” by peers, but tend to be above average in aggression and use it to obtain their goals § The relationship between perceived popularity and aggression is especially high in adolescence who may use relational aggression to hurt others by spreading rumors or withholding friendship § Gender differences? § A category of sociometric status that refers to children or adolescents who are liked by few peers and disliked by many peers § Most rejected children tend to fall into two categories: AggressiveRejected WithdrawnRejected § Are especially prone to hostile and threatening behavior, physical aggression, disruptive behavior, and delinquency § About 40% to 50% of rejected children tend to be aggressive § Likely to attribute hostile motives to others in negative social situations (hostile attribution bias) § Aggressive behavior often underlies rejection by peers § However, not all aggressive peers are rejected; some develop a network of aggressive friends § Are socially withdrawn, wary, and often timid § Make up about between 10-25% of the rejected category § Not all socially withdrawn children are rejected or socially excluded § Rather, it appears that withdrawn behavior combined with negative actions or emotions (sometimes hostile attribution bias) is correlated with rejection Contributes to later adjustment & behavior problems via: 1. Alliance w/ deviant peer groups that: § promote antisocial, delinquent conduct § discourage academic pursuits 2. Elevated stress (dominance hierarchy) § more often targets of aggression § less likely to have social approaches rewarded (increased loneliness) 3. Lack of social support from peers or teachers 4. Lack of opportunities to develop effective social skills 5. Low self esteem § leads to internalization of feedback confirming their negative self-image & rejection of any positive feedback § expectancy of peer rejection influences how child presents to new peers; may set up for failure § Social skills training is a common approach for assisting rejected children § Based on the assumption that rejected children lack social skills that promote positive interaction with peers § Some social skills training programs teach children: § To pay attention to what is going on in a group of peers § To rehearse skills related to participating with peers § To cooperate § To communicate in positive ways § For aggressive-rejected children, some training programs focus on changing faulty social perception (eg. hostile attribution bias) § A category of sociometric status that refers to children or adolescents who are infrequently mentioned as liked or disliked § Display relatively few behaviors that differ greatly from those of many other children § Appear to be neglected primarily because they are not noticed § A category of sociometric status that refers to children or adolescents who are liked by quite a few peers and are disliked by quite a few others § Tend to have characteristics of both popular and rejected children § Some peers view such children as arrogant and snobbish § Over relatively short time periods such as weeks or months, children who are popular or rejected tend to remain so, whereas those who are neglected or controversial tend to change their status § Over time, sociometric stability for rejected children is generally higher than for popular, neglected, or controversial children, and may increase with the age of the child Researchers have noted three patterns of findings: The major predictors of popularity do not seem to change substantially with age (e.g., children who are selected as popular are viewed as helpful, friendly, and considerate across age levels) Although aggression is a frequent predictor of rejection in childhood, overt aggression appears to play a less important role in peer rejection in adolescence Withdrawn behavior seems to become a more important predictor of peer rejection with increasing age in childhood § Much of elective time spent with peers § Emotional distance from parents § Sound decision making § Empathy § Considering § Regulating consequences emotions § Self-awareness § Morality § PFC not fully developed until age 25 VENTRAL STRIATUM (THE REWARD CIRCUIT) VENTRAL STRIATUM (THE REWARD CIRCUIT) § Planning § Decision making § Motivation § Pleasure § Regulated by dopamine § Neurotransmitter that plays a huge role in addiction § VS functionally peaks during adolescence VENTRAL STRIATUM DEVELOPMENT Galvan et al., 2006 Decreased self control Increased sensitivity to pleasure § Much of elective time spent with peers § Emotional distance from parents § How does being around peers in adolescence influence decision making? Chein et al., 2011 Chein et al., 2011 Brain Activation Chein et al., 2011 Brain Activation Chein et al., 2011