Peer and Romantic Relationships

Question 1

Margaret Mead

Answer 1

proposed stages in which individual children progress from predominantly spending time w/ parents in peer and community contexts

Question 2

Mead’s Classification of Child Social Stages

Answer 2

1. lap child (0-2) = needs constant care
2. knee child (3-4) = still cared for mainly by mother but spends time w/ other children
3. yard child (5-6) = spends more time w/ same-sex peers sometimes unsupervised
4. school + community child (6-10) = spends large part of day w/ peers typically in school under authority of teachers

Question 3

Brofenbrenner’s Ecological Theory

Answer 3

multiple influences shape child development in social environment

Question 4

Brofenbrenner’s 5 Key Systems

Answer 4

1. the individual
2. microsystem – immediate environment of child (parents, siblings, peers, etc.)
3. mesosystem – network of interconnections btwn various microsystems
4. exosystem – social institutions that have indirect but potentially important influences on development (school, media, church, etc.)
5. macrosystem – broad system of cultural beliefs and values and the economic/governmental systems that are built on these beliefs/values
6. chronosystem – changes that occur in the developmental circumstance over time in the individ. and societally (historical context)

Question 5

sex-segregation

Answer 5

same-sex play groups that increases during early childhood and become more pronounced w/ age (2-3 yos play in same-sex group 30-40% of the time)

Question 6

Difference in Play (girls vs boys)

Answer 6

girls = more imaginative, cooperative, quieter
boys = high activity, aggressive, “rough and tumble”

Question 7

Stages of Play (in Western cultures)

Answer 7

1. solitary play
2. parallel play
3. simple social play
4. cooperative play

Question 8

Categories of Social Status (and definitions)

Answer 8

• popular children (most often liked/rarely disliked)
• rejected children (most often disliked/rarely liked)
• neglected children (rarely mentioned as either liked/disliked)
• controversial children (liked by some/disliked by others)

Question 9

Definition of Friendship (by age groups)

Answer 9

toddlers = mutual affect and companionship
4-5 = someone who plays and shares w/ you
5-6 = friendship involves mutual trust and support
adolescence = major source of support (preferred companions)

Question 10

Homophily Principle

Answer 10

tendency to prefer people who are similar to you

Question 11

selection effects

Answer 11

peers initially segregate based on similar features

Question 12

socialization effects

Answer 12

peer groups that become more similar over time (conformity/ establishing group identity/behaviors/values)

Question 13

Effects of Positive Romantic Relationships

Answer 13

• more popular
• more positive self-esteem

Question 14

Effects of Negative Romantic Relationships

Answer 14

• depressed moods (mostly younger girls)
• feel pressured to engage in sexual activity before they want to

Question 15

Cultural Approaches to Adolescent Sexuality

Answer 15

permissive – tolerated and even encouraged

semi-restricted – prohibitions on premarital adolescent sex (not well enforced)

restrictive – strong prohibitions on adolescent sex activity before marriage and enforced through strong social norms