Peer Relationships Flashcards
1
Q
What is the self concept?
A
- an organized set of beliefs about oneself, including personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values and roles
2
Q
When does self concept emerge?
A
- 18 months
- children pass the rouge test
- children also start using “me” pronoun and calling themselves by name
3
Q
How does the self concept develop?
A
- children’s self concept develops primarily by internalizing others’ perceptions of them
- direct vs indirect perceptions
4
Q
What are direct perceptions?
A
- caregiver describes a child a certain way and the child incorporates that description into their self concept
5
Q
What are indirect perceptions?
A
- how children are treated
6
Q
What is the first characteristic present in children’s self concept?
A
- gender
- it is central to their sense of self
7
Q
When do children form basic gender identity?
A
- 2.5-3 years
8
Q
What is gender socialization?
A
- process through which children learn about the social expectations, attitudes and behaviours associated with girls and boys by internalizing the messages received about gender from caregivers and wider society
- starts early; parents of newborns describe boys and girls differently
9
Q
What are the baby X studies?
A
- studies in which researchers label the same infant as a boy or girl and then observe how adults interact with the infant
- infants labelled as boys rated as bigger, stronger, louder, and more likely to be encouraged to be active
- infants labelled as girls received more talk and nurturance
- suggests that caregivers’ perceptions of differences between male and female babies are due to their own associations with gender, rather than actual gender differences
10
Q
How does gender shape parents’ expectations about motor skills?
A
- parents of girls tended to underestimate their infant’s crawling ability but parents of boys more accurately estimated their ability
- when tested on their actual skills, boys and girls did not differ on the slopes they could safely crawl down
- suggests that gender differences in motor skills only exist in parent’s perception
11
Q
What are the gender differences in toys?
A
- girls toys are more pink and sedentary
- boys toys are more active and there’s no pink
- boys have more toy trucks and girls have 5 times more pink toys by 12 months
12
Q
What are gender differences in play?
A
- parents present boys with more physical challenges than girls
- more likely to offer girls more help
13
Q
What are gender differences in language?
A
- parents are more likely to use emotion words with girls than boys in early childhood
- emotion understanding thus develops earlier in girls
14
Q
What are gender differences in the division of household chores?
A
- homes in which parents take on more traditional gender roles in completing chores are communicating gender roles
15
Q
What are gender differences in media exposure?
A
- more tv viewing by preschoolers associated with them more likely saying that people see boys as better than girls
16
Q
What is self socialization?
A
- once a child identifies with a gender, they actively seek out gender related information and conform their behaviour to this info
- highlights children’s own role in their gender development
17
Q
When do children have rigid, gender stereotyped behaviours?
A
- 3-5 years
18
Q
What are rigid, gender stereotyped behaviours?
A
- preference for toys and clothes that are consistent with gender identity
- preference for same gender playmates
- cross cultural
- due to lack of gender constancy
19
Q
What is gender constancy?
A
- understanding that gender remains the same regardless of superficial changes to appearance or behaviour
20
Q
When does rigid, gendered behaviour relax?
A
- 6 years
- because gender constancy is achieved
- accept more non-gendered appearance and toy preferences in themselves and others
- but, as children get older, they acquire more complex ideas and expectations about gender that include traits, roles, abilities, etc
- incorporates these into their self concepts and adjust their behaviour accordingly
21
Q
What are the implications of gender identity?
A
- gender is a central characteristic that organizes children’s self concepts
- adherence to gender stereotypes can unnecessarily limit children’s development in educational aspirations, social development, and emotional expression
- extent to which a child behaves in gender-consistent ways is associated with level of peer acceptance
- even though children increase their gender flexibility with age, they tend to reject peers who do not behave in typically gendered ways
- greater engagement with peers of same gender is powerful way that gender stereotypes and identities are reinforced
22
Q
What is gender neutral parenting?
A
- conscious parenting practice to encourage children to explore and express themselves in a way that is not defined by traditional gender roles
- common in WEIRD countries
- not enforcing gender specific colours, avoiding gender specific language, encouraging all activities
23
Q
What is sex?
A
- assigned at birth usually based on external genitalia
24
Q
Who are cisgender children?
A
- children who identify with their assigned sex
25
Q
Who are transgender children?
A
- children who don’t identify with their assigned sex
- tend to show strong identification and preferences aligned with current gender in a way that is very similar to cisgender children
- research suggest that transgender identity is not a result of parent socialization and instead seems to be internally driven
26
Q
When is gender central to self concept?
A
- 3-6 years
27
Q
What is self concept like in early childhood?
A
- 3-6 years
- gender is central to self concept
- concrete, observable characteristics that tend to focus on physical attributes and physical activities
- unrealistically positive and confident
28
Q
What is self concept like in middle childhood?
A
- 7-12 years
- describe self using personality traits and inner qualities
- self concept is more balanced and accurate
- includes weakness, but overall positive
29
Q
What are changes in self concept from early childhood to middle childhood due to?
A
- increased cognitive ability to think about multiple qualities simultaneously
- greater engagement in social comparison and more strongly influenced by the opinions of others
30
Q
What is self concept like in adolescence?
A
- 13-18 years
- can think of themselves in increasingly abstract ways
- more intense concerns about social acceptance which heavily influences self concept
- egocentrism; assume their thoughts and feelings are more unique than they really are (younger)
- imaginary audience
- aware of differences in behaviour in different social settings leading to confusion and many questions about identity
31
Q
When is forming an identity important?
A
- forming an identity is the primary psychosocial task of adolescence/early adulthood
32
Q
How is identity formed?
A
- exploration
- commitment
33
Q
What is exploration?
A
- questioning of parental and societal values and experimenting with various facets of identity
- including appearance, hobbies, traits, friends, courses…
- viewed as important and healthy for identity development
34
Q
What is commitment?
A
- consolidation and acceptance of who one is as indicated by the choices one makes
- deciding on a major, friend group, clothing style
35
Q
What are Marcia’s identity statuses?
A
- identity diffusion
- moratorium
- foreclosure
- identity achievement
36
Q
What is the typical trajectory of Marcia’s identity statuses?
A
diffusion –> moratorium/foreclosure –> achievement
37
Q
What is identity diffusion?
A
- lack of exploration of options and no commitments made
- due to lack of interest in own identity or indecision
- common in children
- if persists into late adolescence/adulthood, associated with feeling disconnected, being easily influenced by others, and little sense of purpose
