Peers and friendships

1
Peers and friendships

• Implications for Social Development

2
Outline

• I Peers ? Intro Definition
• II Peer Activities
• III Peers Socialization
• IV Popularity Social Competence
• V Peers and Parents

3
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects

4
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects

Parent Characteristics
5
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects

Parent Characteristics
Child Characteristics
6
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects
• Peer research ? A different approach Assumptions
  Active child, Bi-Directional effects

7
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects
• Peer research ? A different approach (e.g.,
  Judith Harris)
• Assumptions Active child, Bi-Directional effects

Child Characteristics
8
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects
• Peer research ? A different approach (e.g.,
  Judith Harris)
• Assumptions Active child, Bi-Directional effects

Child Characteristics
Peer Group
9
I Peers

• Socialization research ? focus on parents
• Assumptions Passive child, Uni-directional
  effects
• Peer research ? A different approach (e.g.,
  Judith Harris)
• Assumptions Active child, Bi-Directional effects

Child Characteristics
Peer Group
10
I Peers

• Peers Companions that are approximately same age
  and developmental level.
• Form groups (e.g., cliques, crowds)

11
II Peer Activities

• Play
• Parten Solitary, parallel, and co-operative play
• Social pretend
• Rough-and-tumble
• Among older children (Zarbatany et al., 90)
• Conversing
• Hanging out
• Phone
• Games

12
II Peer Activities

• Play
• Parten Solitary, parallel, and co-operative play
• Social pretend
• Rough-and-tumble
• Among older children (Zarbatany et al., 90)
• Conversing
• Hanging out
• Phone
• Games

13
II Peer Activities

• Play
• Parten Solitary, parallel, and co-operative play
• Social pretend
• Rough-and-tumble
• Among older children (Zarbatany et al., 90)
• Conversing
• Hanging out
• Phone
• Games

14
II Peer Activities

• Play
• Parten Solitary, parallel, and co-operative play
• Social pretend
• Rough-and-tumble
• Among older children (Zarbatany et al., 90)
• Conversing
• Hanging out
• Phone
• Games

• Socialization
• Acquisition of social knowledge, skills,
  attitudes valued by society

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III Peer socialization

• Modeling
• Occurs frequently in preschoolers (Abramovitch
  Grusec, 1978)
• Positive, negative gender-role behaviours
• More likely if model perceived as similar thus
  peers a powerful modeling influence
• Reinforcement
• Positive and negative feedback
• Shapes gender-role behaviour

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III Peer socialization

• Modeling
• Occurs frequently in preschoolers (Abramovitch
  Grusec, 1978)
• Positive, negative gender-role behaviours
• More likely if model perceived as similar thus
  peers a powerful modeling influence
• Reinforcement
• Positive and negative feedback
• Shapes gender-role behaviour

17
III Peer socialization

• Modeling
• Occurs frequently in preschoolers (Abramovitch
  Grusec, 1978)
• Positive, negative gender-role behaviours
• More likely if model perceived as similar thus
  peers a powerful modeling influence
• Reinforcement
• Positive and negative feedback
• Shapes gender-role behaviour

18
III Peer socialization

• Modeling
• Occurs frequently in preschoolers (Abramovitch
  Grusec, 1978)
• Positive, negative gender-role behaviour
• More likely if model perceived as similar thus
  peers a powerful modeling influence
• Reinforcement
• Positive and negative feedback
• Shapes gender-role behaviour

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

22
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

23
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

25
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

?Popularity ?? Competence
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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

?Popularity ?? Competence

• Ladd et al, 1988
• Longitudinal study
• Preschoolers, pro/anti-social behaviours,
  sociometric status

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity Concerns how well a child is liked by
  his/her peers
• Measured by peer nominations
• Characteristics of popular children include
• Attractiveness
• Motor skills
• Social skills (Prosocial, co-operative,
  aggressive)
• Emotion regulation (Irritable, distractable,
  behavioural control)

?Popularity ?? Competence

• Ladd et al, 1988
• Longitudinal study
• Preschoolers, pro/anti-social behaviours,
  sociometric status
• Behaviour ? Popularity

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

30
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

31
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

32
IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

• Crick Dodge, 1994
• Encoding emotion cues

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

• Crick Dodge, 1994
• Encoding emotion cues
• Attributional style

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IV Popularity Social Competence

• Popularity influenced by social competence
• Origins of social competence?
• Attachment
• Parents
• Social cognitive style

• Crick Dodge, 1994
• Encoding emotion cues
• Attributional style
• Social problem solving

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V Peers and Parents

• Whos important?
• Peers (Judith Harris)
• Little evidence for the role of parents
• Peers not parents chosen as social partners
• Is this natural? Is it good?
• Neufeld Mate No (Hold on to Your Kids)
• Modern peer culture historically unprecedented
• Rooted in family dysfunction, cultural malaise
• Peer-attachment disorder ? attachment system
  directed at peers rather than parents
• Consequently, teens impossible to nurture or
  teach

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Social Development Summary

• Emotions TOM ? Entry into mental life of others
• Leads to relationships
• Every relationship is different.
• Security, reciprocity, authority.
• Positive emotions, Negative emotions.
• How we are learn about these aspects of
  relationships influences the way we form
  relationships as adults.