Perspective taking Flashcards
What is perspective taking?
Our cognitive ability to appreciate a social situation from the point of view of other people
Understanding that others can react differently to the same situation
What was Selman’s domain specific suggestion?
The development of social PT is a different process to the development of physical PT
What did Selman suggest about mature insights?
More mature insights are a prerequisite for good social relations and socially desirable behaviour
How did Selman conduct research on PT?
Series of interpersonal dilemmas which explore child’s reasoning, where child needs to take someone else’s perspective
30 boys, 30 girls, all aged 4-6
What did Selman find?
PT improved with age, levels of role-taking were identified, Selman found that level of role taking correlated with age
What are the 5 stages?
Undifferentiated PT
Social informational PT
Self reflective PT
Mutual PT
Societal PT
What is undifferentiated?
3-6 years old
Recognise difference in thoughts and feelings between self and other, yet often confuse the two
What is social-informational?
6-8 years old
Children understand that different perspectives may result because different people have access to different information
What is self reflective?
8-10 years old
Children can step in shoes of another, and view own thoughts, feelings and behaviour from other’s perspectives, but not at the same time as their own
What is mutual?
10-12 years old
Can step outside 2 person situation and can imagine how it would be viewed from perspective of third, impartial party
What is societal?
12+ years
understand that third party PT can be influenced by one or more systems of larger societal values
Evidence?
Selman provided solid evidence to support his theory that PT improves with age
Longitudinal follow up studies show that PT develops with age in each individual child
Cause or correlation?
Correlation not causation, does not mean that higher levels of PT cause higher levels of social competence
Role of experience?
Even if biologically driven, there is much evidence that supports the role of experience in development of these skills
Fitzgerald and White (2003) looked at development of PT in relation to parental style, found that children showed more growth when parents encouraged them to take the perspective of victim
Reductionist?
It is overly cognitive, ignores non- cognitive factors
Likely that social cognition development is due to combination of factors
