L14 - Peer Relationships

Question 1

What are Cliques?

Answer 1

• Friendship groups that children voluntarily form/join
• Similarities among members bind

Question 2

What are Crowds?

Answer 2

• Groups of adolescents who have similar stereotyped reputations
• May be assigned by peers

Question 3

What are Gangs?

Answer 3

• Loosely organised groups of adolescents/young adults who identify as a group and often engage in illegal activities

Question 4

How do Crowds come about?

Answer 4

• Adolescents tend to segregate themselves into different peer groups types and give them names
• Names often suggest lifestyle characteristics, style, music and activities
• Sense of identity, positive self-concept and personal autonomy from parents

Question 5

How do people place themselves in the crowd?

Answer 5

• Identifying themselves in the social peer type (regardless of interactions with others)
• Participating in peer groups reflecting the collective

Question 6

What groups are least likely to show problem behaviour?

Answer 6

• Athletes and Academics
• More problems = Deviants

Question 7

How does identification with a crowd hamper or advance successful psychological adaptation? (Study)

Answer 7

• Longitudinal study following mothers pregnancy to adulthood: sample of 3694
• Adolescent self-report at 15 and 18 yo
• Strong dose-response association: young people who identified as goth were 3x more likely to have depression at 18 & similar pattern for self-harm
• Mechanism of risk could stem from social contagion, stigma, ostracism

Question 8

What was a study on music preferences?

Answer 8

• Music was a badge to define peer group
• 900 Dutch adolescents from 12-21 years were split into their music categories
• Found that music and peer group could be protective

Question 9

What are the sociometric statuses?

Answer 9

• Popular: high impact, liked/accepted - perceived as more friendly, social, helpful = more control and they use aggression
• Rejected: high impact, low acceptance and preference to others - Aggressive-rejected: prone to hostile/threatening behaviour OR withdrawn rejected: socially withdrawn and often victimised
• Neglected: low social impact, not especially liked or disliked - less sociable and disruptive, not noticed
• Average: moderate ratings on impact and preference
• Controversial: noticed by peers, both liked and disliked by others - characteristics of popular & rejected children & often leaders if an aggressive group of friends

Question 10

What did the study on social media find out?

Answer 10

• Frequent communication with real life best friends and friendship groups = better well-being
• Frequent communication with virtual friends = lower well-being, particularly for girls

Question 11

What does a secure attachment look like with social development?

Answer 11

• Positive expectations: interact readily with other children and expect relationships to be positive and rewarding
• Foundations: sensitive and responsive caregiving = kids understand reciprocity in relationships = give and take/empathy
• Confidence, enthusiastic and emotionally positive = makes kids more attractive to others and allows social interaction

Question 12

What does an insecure attachment look like with social development?

Answer 12

• Rejection and hostility from parents and now expected in peer relationships, hostile attribution bias and withdraw from social exchanges in expectation of rejection
• Insecure attachment associated with poor peer relationships = less skill in peer interactions

Question 13

Evidence asking about if the emotional qualities of romantic relationships be predicted via peer relationships in childhood and friendships in adolescents:

Answer 13

• Working models of relationships may influence behaviour in adult romantic relationships
• 78 ppts studied from infancy to mid-20s
• Attachment at 12 mo measured = strange situation
• Peer competence 5-8yo = teacher rating
• Friendship security at 16 = 16 young person interview
• Romantic relationship 22-23yo = questionnaire and observation looking at romantic process, negative affect, emotional tone, composite index
• Ex: secure attachments = competence with peers at school = secure friendships = positive romantic relationships = less negative affect in conflict resolution

Question 14

What is the relationship between parent-child relationship quality and peer relations?

Answer 14

• Parents warmth and affection = positivity in children’s friendships , social competence and peer acceptance
• Warm, positive sibling relationships = positive peer relationships
• Positive family env = sociable, skilled children who are cooperative in childcare settings
• Harsh, authoritarian parenting = peer rejection & victimisation & conduct problems

Question 15

What is Coaching as a parental role?

Answer 15

Parents teaching children strategies for gaining entry to a group that are effective and prosocial associated with accepted children

Question 16

What is Monitoring as a parental role?

Answer 16

• Increased autonomy is socially sanctioned as an adolescent
• Parental monitoring continues but is harder
• Parental knowledge becomes important: friendships, peers parents, school life etc.

Question 17

What is the link between family stress and social competence?

Answer 17

• Parents are people and economic stress model come into play here
• Pre-occupied, distressed parents spills over to parenting role
• Family stress and strain associated with children having more difficulties in peer relationship sand lower social competence