WK9 Peers and popularity, and Self

• What should you be able to describe by the end of this lecture?

  The development of children’s peer relationships
• What are the different types of sociometric status?

  Popular, rejected, neglected, average, controversial

  
• What are the consequences of sociometric status?

  They affect children's social interactions and development
• How might children's sociometric status be improved?

  Through targeted social skills interventions
• What is the definition of a peer?

  • Same or similar age
  • Not family members
• What is the "golden rule" of peer relationships?

  Reciprocity and cooperation
• What happens to children with poor peer relations?

  They may face social and emotional difficulties
• At what age do children start looking at peers?

  From 2 months
• What social interactions do children exhibit at 3-4 months?

  They try to touch their peers
• What type of play is most frequent up to age 5?

  Parallel play
• What is Parten’s (1932) classification of play stages?

  Unoccupied, Onlooker, Solitary, Parallel, Associative, Cooperative
• What evidence of gender segregation is noted in peer relationships?

  It begins from age 3
• How does going to school affect children's peer interactions?

  It increases time spent with peers
• What is sociometry?

  Systematic charting of social structure and status
• What method is used to create a sociogram?

  Observation of children's play interactions
• What do peer nominations assess?

  Children's preferences for classmates
• What is the difference between acceptance and rejection scores?

  They are not strongly related
• What are the distinct behavioral profiles of popular children?

  Socially skilled, attractive, cooperative, low aggression
• What characterizes neglected children?

  Shy, solitary, unassertive, socially inept
• What traits define rejected children?

  Aggressive, disruptive, argumentative, withdrawn
• What is the difference between effectual and ineffectual aggressors?

  Effectual aggressors use force to dominate
• What behaviors do aggressive-rejected children exhibit?

  Disruptive, oppositional, irritable, overly sensitive
• How does aggression change with age in children?

  More accepted in younger children, atypical later
• What is the impact of peer rejection on children?

  It exacerbates anxiety, depression, and anger
• What does attachment quality predict?

  Peer status at later ages
• What cognitive processes are involved in social interactions?

  Encoding, interpreting, generating goals, responding
• How do rejected children misinterpret social cues?

  They may misinterpret friendly greetings
• What is a negative reputational cycle?

  Expectations of behavior based on past actions
• How can peer rejection be less damaging?

  If the child has one best friend
• What factors contribute to low-accepted children's friendships?

  Some may still have friends despite low acceptance
• What can neglected children do over time?

  Raise their level of acceptance
• What routes can rejected children take to improve their status?

  Higher self-perceived social preference and participation
• What was the focus of social-cognitive programs in the 1980s/90s?

  To reduce aggression and improve behavioral adjustment
• What are the key components of a "whole-child" approach to improve peer status?

  • Focus on social skills
  • Address family context
  • Consider academic status
• What are the consequences of peer rejection on adjustment?

  • Negative impact on emotional well-being
  • Affects developing sense of self
  • Leads to anxiety and depression
• What does the meta-analysis by Schneider et al. (2001) reveal about attachment and peer relations?

  • Stronger for friendships than non-friend relations
  • Attachment influences social competence
• What are the stages of cognitive processes in response to social stimuli?

  1. Encode social cues
  2. Interpret cues and make attributions
  3. Generate and select a social goal
  4. Generate a response to attain the goal
  5. Make a response decision
• What are the implications of peer relations increasing in salience and complexity with age?

  • Observations and nominations categorize acceptance status
  • Associated behavioral profiles emerge
• What are the core readings recommended for understanding peer relationships?

  • Gillibrand et al., Chapter 12
  • Slater & Bremner Chapter 14
  • Thornton, S. (2008) Chapter 11
• What are some further readings on peer rejection and social development?

  • Bierman, K. (2004)
  • Durkin, K. (1995)
  • Hay, D., Payne, A., & Chadwick, A. (2004)
  • Zelazo, P.D. (2013)