Lecture 18 - Social and Emotional Development: Understanding Self and Other

Question 1

What is self-concept?

Answer 1

A conceptual system made up of one’s THOUGHTS and ATTITUDES about one’s self. It is different to identity, because it is based on the cognitive processes we engage in around who we are, including what we think of ourselves, and how we feel about ourselves.

Question 2

Is self-concept the same as identity?

Answer 2

No. Self-Concept is not the same as Identity.

Question 3

What thoughts and attitudes that relate to self-concept? Physical, internal, and social domains that our self-concept covers.

Answer 3

Our thoughts and attitudes regarding our physical, social and personal/internal self areas relating to self-concept.

Question 4

What is the difference between the “I” self and “Me” self?

Answer 4

The “I” self is the one who observes the “me” self.

Question 5

What is William Jame’s (1890) theory of self-concept?

Hint: “Social” me, “Material” me, “Spiritual” me

Answer 5

James saw self-concept as being made up of three types of self.
1. Material Self - what makes me ME?
2. Social Self - social connections - James says we have as many social selves as connections we have with people
3. Spiritual Self - most enduring and intimate self - morality, religion, cultural beliefs and norms - not the “I” self only, as it is observed by others

Question 6

What is the difference between the “I” self and “Me” self according to James?

Answer 6

The “I” self is who looks at and expresses the “me” self.

Question 7

Why is self-concept related to self-regulation of behaviour?

Answer 7

We cannot regulate our behaviour unless we have an idea of what we are capable of, what we desire/don’t desire, what is important to us, i.e unless we have a self-concept.
Self-concept is the lens through which we interpret stimuli.
Self-concept informs the decisions we make up our behaviours and goals.

Question 8

How does self-concept develop across childhood?

Answer 8

We are not born with a sel-concept. We develop it over time after birth.
Self-concept develops in both discontinuous stages as well as with continuity in other areas.

Question 9

What component of the self, according to James theory of self-concept, is developed first in childhood?

Answer 9

The “material” self.

Question 10

Who is William James and what theory did he propose about self-concept?

Answer 10

William James in the 1890s developed a theory of self-concept that involved the “I” and the “me”, the material self, the social self, and the spiritual self.

Question 11

An 18 month old will rub something off their face that they see in their reflection in a mirror.
True or false?

Answer 11

True. At around 18 months children can recognise themselves in the mirror. This is a indication that the child is developing a the material self-concept.

Question 12

Which self component develops after the “material” self concept in childhood?

Answer 12

The “social” self.

Question 13

In regards to self-concept what happens in early adolescence?

Answer 13

In early adolescence we start to become aware that there are multiple versions of “me”, that we are different around different people, that there are aspects of ourselves that are more important to our sense of self and others that are more peripheral. We become aware of conflicting sense of self. This can be unsettling, confusing and anxiety-inducing.

Question 14

What is Social Learning Theory?

Answer 14

The idea that we learn through observing not only what others do, but what the reaction to the behaviour is from others. We then imitate the observed behaviour, especially if that behaviour was accompanied with approval from other (especially trusted others).

Question 15

Who was one of the first proponents and developers of Social Learning Theory?

Answer 15

Bundura 1961 - doll and aggressive behaviour

Question 16

What were the main findings by Bundura in 1961 regarding child behaviour and learning?

Answer 16

There were two main findings we discussed about Albert Bundoora’s work in the 1960s.
Firstly, children were less likely to engage in aggressive behaviour toward the doll if the actor had been punished.
And, the children in all groups were able to reproduce the behaviour if given an incentive.

Question 17

There is evidence that 12 month olds have similar levels of aggression across genders, but that by 3 years male children have more aggression compared to female children. It has been proposed that it is not that female children are not also aggressive, but that they have been taught to/pressured to regulate their emotions and not express aggression, where as male children may not have had this influence as much.

True or false?

Answer 17

True.

Question 18

When does Robert Selman propose that children are able to role-take?

Answer 18

At around 6 years of age.

Question 19

According to Robert Selman (in the 70s) what is role-taking?

Answer 19

Role-Taking is the ability to understand that other people can think differently to us, and that they may also feel differently and have different motivations.
Ability to Role-Take is key for social development in children and progresses through 5 stages according to Selman.

Question 20

What are the 5 stages of increasing complexity regarding children’s ability to engage in role-taking and what are their corresponding ages they tend to develop in?

Answer 20

The 5 stages proposed by Selman in the 70s are:
Stage 0 (3-6yp) - EGOCENTRIC
Stage 1 (6-8yo) - SUBJECTIVE
Stage 2 (8-10yo) - SELF-REFLECTIVE
Stage 3 (10-12yo) - MUTUAL
Stage 4 (12+yo) - SOCIETAL

Question 21

According to William James in 1890s what is the “I” self and what is the “Me” self and which one is not accessible by other people?

Answer 21

The “I” self is the self that observes the “me” self. According to James, the “I” self is not accessible to others.

Question 22

Why is self-concept important?

Answer 22

Having an awareness of our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, morals, religion etc is what allows us to feel secure and grounded in our sense of self (this is an Eriksonian view)

Question 23

What sense of self is there in infancy? (0-1)

Answer 23

Gaze indicates preferences, which is the start of a developing self-concept.

Question 24

What sense of self is there during Toddlerhood (1-2)?

Answer 24

They use pronouns and develop body control. E.g recognising shadow or self in the mirror.

Question 25

A study wanted to look at self-concept in toddlerhood. Researchers put make up on an 18 month old’s face. When put in front of the mirror they observed what the toddler did.
What did they find and what does this show.

Answer 25

The 18 month olds would try to rub the make up off. This showed that they realised that it was them in the mirror. This awareness is an indication of a developing self-concept, at least of the material self.

Question 26

What sense of self-concept do young children (3-5yo) have?

Answer 26

They are able to give descriptions of what they can do, are unrealistically optimistic (As they cannot hold two truths at once) and are able to communicate their preferences.

Question 27

What sense of self-concept do children in middle-childhood (6-9) have?

Answer 27

Have more realistic descriptions of self and are able to compare/integrate social context, but it is still egocentric, e.g I can ran faster than Ada, but not as fast as Lucy.

Question 28

What sense of self-concept do children in late childhood (9-11years) have?

Answer 28

The child is now able to express what other people think, such as my whole class thinks I am good at drawing.
Children of this age also start to be able to use abstract descriptors, such as I am atheletic, instead of just I can run fast.
They also start to alter their behaviour based on their values, e.g wanting to feel good, so they don’t do the things that make them feel bad, such as certain friendships.

Question 29

What sense of self-concept do young adolescents (12-14yo) have?

Answer 29

During this time the adolescent becomes aware of their many abstract descriptors, versions of themselves when they are with different people or capabilities, and these can sometimes be conflicting, which can be very unsettling for the child.
For the first time in their lives they are becoming aware of the different “versions” of themselves that arise/they engage in when they are around different people. There is also an “egocentric” nature at this time. The young adolescent feels that no one understands what they are going through, because they do not understand what they are going through.

Question 30

What sense of self-concept to late adolescents (15-18yo) have?

Answer 30

They have a higher order self-concept that integrates the abstract descriptors the adolescent is aware of.

Question 31

What is Social Learning Theory?

Answer 31

Social Learning Theory is the idea that children learn by observing the actions of others, observing how others (especially trusted others) react to those actions, assessing how they feel about those actions.

Question 32

Who was one of the founders/biggest influencers of Social Learning Theory?
And, what was the infamous experiment done and what were some of the findings.

Answer 32

Albert Bandura - experiment with the doll and actors behaving a certain way to the doll.
Children who saw the actor being punished after being aggressive were less likely to engage in the same aggressive behaviour toward the doll.
Children easily reproduced the behaviours when offered incentives.

Question 33

At what age do children start to test the boundaries with their caregivers?

Answer 33

Around 2 years or 24 months.

Question 34

What is another theory of social learning/development theory other than Social Learning Theory?

Answer 34

Role Taking. Role Taking Theory is the idea that a child’s social skills and cognitive abilities are largely influenced by the child learning how to Role Take. Closing linked to the idea of ToM, Role Taking is the ability to understand what someone else thinks and feels and incorporating that understanding into how you behave, especially how you behave in a “Socially acceptable” way.

Question 35

What are Selman’s Role Taking Levels/Stages of Development?

Answer 35

Stage 0 (3-6yo) - EGOCENTRIC
Stage 1 (6-8yo) - SUBJECTIVE
Stage 2 (8-10yo) - SELF-REFLECTIVE
Stage 3 ( 10-12yo) - MUTUAL
Stage 4 (12+yo) - SOCIETAL