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Ecology of the Peer Group (Social Competence and Conformity (social…
Ecology of the Peer Group
Peer Group as a Socializing Agent
is a microsystem that comprises relationships, roles, & activities
Peers- individuals who are usually the same gender, age, and social status and share same interests
Peers influence because...
they satisfy needs of belonging
often referred to other socializing agents
influence social, cognitive, and psychological development
Significance to human development
helps develop sense of self and satisfies need to belong
Amount of interaction a person needs depends on their temperament and socialization experiences
The need to belong develops first within the family. The importance of secure attachment plays a part in this
Sense of Self
Peers contribute to self-concept including identity and self-esteem
6 month old's can distinguish themselves from others and interact
Children learn about roles in peer groups when they are 2 or 3 yrs
Provides opportunities for independence as they get older
Teens turn to peers for present oriented decisions and turn to their parents for future oriented decisions
Influence on Emotions
Those who do not have normal peer relations are affected psychologically
poor peer relations in childhood are linked to neurotic and psychotic behavior
tendency to drop out of school
patterns of rejection and attraction in elementary predict later adjustment
ones ability to deal with social world dependson communicative skills, competition, cooperation, and ability to coordinate their actions with others'
Children learn to compete for status in peer groups by compliance and creation of group norms
Social Competence and Conformity
social competence- understanding others' feelings & intentions, ability to respond appropriately, and knowledge of consequences of actions
Children learn importance of conforming, dynamics of power, manipulation, and popularity
Children are more susceptible to peer influence in middle childhood
conformity is apparent when children are unsure of what they should don in social situations
conformity to antisocial behavior peeks in 9th grade and then drops. 6th to 9th grades have most conformity
Personal values affect likelihood of conforming to peer group
Social Cognition
Social cognition- conceptions and reasoning about people, self, relations between people, social roles and rules, and relation to social behavior
Preoperational stage (age 2-7)
intuitive rather than logical thought
Poor at understanding relationships between objects, events, and people
Concrete Operational Stage (age 7-11)
ability to apply logical, systematic principles to interpret experiences
make assumptions about reality w/ out examination no matter how illogical they are- they think they know it all
Formal Operational Stage (age 11 and up)
understands form behind a concept and can test assumptions against facts
imaginary audience comes at age 13-15 and conformity decreases because teens realize they are expected to conform
teens have better social skills and can rely on their own judgement.
Socializing Mechanisms
Reinforcement
means giving attention- approving others' behavior
involves acceptance into the group
can be unintentional but still effective
requires waiting for behavior to appear and reinforcing it- include negative, positive, and neutral
Modeling (imitation)
is related to conformity
may learn consequences of behavior by observing others
model may suggest how to behave in new situation
extent to which modeling influences behavior depends on the situation, the model, and the observer
Punishment
teasing, physical aggression, rejection
begins in preschool
Bullying is a form of punishment
some are rejected due to physical or behavioral characteristics
Apprenticeship
someone with more expertise helps another
examples include teaching someone to dance, teaching about popular music, or having educated about sex
Play/ Activities
significance of play
learn about environment and allows for construction of knowledge
enables child to separate thought from action/objects
allows children to practice necessary life skills
Types of play- imitative, exploratory, testing, and model building
Infant/ Toddler Play
2 month old babies are oriented toward movements of other infant
6-8 moth old look at and touch each other
toddlers interact positively when conflicts over toys are resolved
Early Childhood play
increase in frequency and are more complex
success depends on ability to take view of another
they can engage in more complex social interaction
Peer Group Interaction
Friendship
with age, frienships become more distinctive, longer-lasting, and closer
early experience with peers enhances interaction skills
children under 4 are unable to consider viewpoint of others (momentary playmate stage)
4-9 yr olds are more capable of taking others' perspectives. Friendship is based on if someone does what they want or not- the one-way assistance phase
6-12 yr olds (two-way, fair weather cooperation stage)- have give and take but see friendship as mutually serving individual interests
adolescence- they can view friendship as entity in itself, is ongoing and committed, is treasured, but may involve possessiveness and jealousy