10. Social/Emotional Dev't in Preschoolers Flashcards
When do kids start to develop a sense of self?
15-18 months
What characterizes how toddlers define themselves?
Focus on characteristics that are observable and concrete.
Define social role
A set of cultural guidelines for how a person should behave.
Define gender roles
The culturally-prescribed roles considered appropriate for males/females.
- one of the earliest learned social roles
Define gender stereotypes
Beliefs about how males/females differ in personality, traits, interests, behaviours
- may or may not be true
Define instrumental traits
Traits that reflect active involvement with and influence over the environment.
Define expressive traits
Traits that reflect emotional functioning and a focus on interpersonal relations.
Men are usually associated with ___ traits.
Women are usually associated with ___ traits.
Instrumental
Expressive
How do preschoolers see gender stereotypes?
As rigid guidelines that are binding for all boys/girls.
Define gender identity
perception of oneself as either male or female (or other?)
According to social learning theorists (Bandura), how do children learn gender roles?
reinforcement and observational learning
How do mothers/fathers tend to differ in their treating male/female children?
Mothers: respond based on knowledge of the individual child
Father: respond based on gender stereotypes
How do peers contribute to learning gender roles?
- critical of cross-gender play
- once rules are learned, harshly punish violations
- ages 2-3: preference for same-gender play
What are 3 distinct features of same-gender play
- spontaneous, child-driven
- resistant to parent efforts to the contrary
- prevalent even in neutral games
Why does Maccoby think kids tend to same-gender play?
- boys’ style of play is aversive to girls: boys prefer rough-and-tumble/competitive, girls not as much
- girls’ style of play is ineffective with boys (enabling as opposed to constricting)
Define enabling
Interactions that tend to support others and sustain the interaction
Define constricting
Interactions that result in one partner threatening, contradicting, or dominating the other (e.g. winning)
What is the effect of gender-based play?
- solidifies child’s emerging gender identity
- sharpens the contrast between M/F
What are 3 influences on gender-role learning
- parents
- peers
- TV
Why does gender stereotyping have more influence on children than adults?
As we age, we are exposed to more experiences overall, which decreases the overall impact of media messages.
According to Kholberg, what 3 elements does understanding of development involve:
- gender labeling
- gender stability
- gender consistency
define gender labeling
Age 2-3
Learning to name who is a boy and who is a girl
define gender stability
Preschool years
Understanding that a person’s natural gender does not change
define gender consistency
Ages 4-7
Understanding that maleness or femaleness do not change based on situations or personal wishes (e.g. clothing or toys)
define gender constancy
The knowledge that gender can be identified, is stable, and remains consistent over time.
- Kohlberg: this is requires before kids fully develop gender-stereotyping of activities
define gender-schema theory
Using gender-based information to decide whether an activity or object is worth learning more about.
- once gender is understood, the world is viewed through a gender-based lens.
In Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, what happens for young children?
- realize taking initiative can lead to conflict with others
- purpose is achieved with a balance between initiative and cooperation
- self-esteem is a byproduct
define self-esteem
feelings about personal worth
Describe self-esteem in preschoolers
- at it’s peak
- drops when children enter school
Features of the family systems theory
- family as a system of interacting elements
- parents influence children directly and indirectly
- children influence parents
- family is embedded in other social systems
What are two general dimensions of parental behaviour?
and others
- degree of warmth/responsiveness
- amount of control
Others:
- mental & physical health
- child’s needs
- prosocial network of supportive relationships
What three factors are the basis for a balanced approach to control?
- age-appropriate expectations
- consistency
- communication
What are the 4 prototypical parenting styles?
- Authoritarian
- Authoritative
- Indulgent-permissive
- Indifferent-uninvolved
Describe authoritarian parenting
High control
Low responsiveness/warmth
- Expect rules to be followed without discussion - no room for compromise
- Value hard work, respect, obedience.
- rigidly punish disobedience
- little display of love and warmth to children
- may be hostile toward children