Self & Gender Flashcards
Self 2-4 months
Self as agent
Attach mobile to baby leg
Self 8mo
Separation anxiety
Self as separate from caregiver
Self 12mo
Joint attention emerges
Self vs. Others
Self still doesn’t transcend time/situations
Development of me self
18mo
Reflection of attributes rather than subjective state
Developed through direct observation of attributes and interaction with others
Test using rouge test
Rouge test
15-18mo - 25% wiped face
21-24mo 70% wiped face
The development of the ability at 18-24mo is due to self awareness and other awareness (empathy, cooperation etc)
Contingency testing
Doing different actions in the mirror to see if it is yourself
Secondary representations
Rouge test
Mirror image - primary
Linking self with image - secondary
Require cognitions that transcend time
Synchronic imitation
Imitating others at the same time
Requires other awareness
Amended rouge test method
Increases validity
Many children classified as ambiguous (touched wrong part of face)
Play with doll first and ask them to wipe rouge of doll’s face so child understands
Amended rouge test results
Immediate recognisers same for amended and traditional test
Number of ambiguous recognisers lower in amended test
16% of delayed recognisers were missed in traditional (prompted)
Girls recognise 78% and boys 54%
Amended rouge test imitation results
Recognisers didn’t imitate more than non recognisers
Recognisers engaged in more sustained imitation
Delayed recognisers showed same imitation to immediate recognisers
Original rouge test had high false negative rate
Self during second year
Language shows use of personal pronouns (me)
Assertive behaviour - testing boundaries
Expression of complex emotions
Parent construction of self ‘you’re clever’ encourages this
Self as an agent reaches peak (terrible twos)
Complex emotions
Embarrassment, pride, guilt, shame
Self conscious because they relate to sense of self and others’ perceptions of us
Possibly due to increased expectation of child (having to learn rules)
Ragdoll experiment method
Tests complex emotion expression
Ragdoll who’s limb is rigged to fall off
Observe child’s reaction and then if they tell experimenter
Ragdoll experiment results
Subtle differences:
Shame - delayed telling, avoidance (focus on self)
Guilt - attempt to repair, told immediately (empathy for others)
Correlated with the way children are reprimanded by parents
E.g. ‘You’re a bad girl’ or ‘it’s not kind to break it they are sad now’
Self metarepresentation
Understand mental states of others and self
2yo
Associated with shift from self directed to other directed play
Associated with increase use of personal pronouns and pretend play
Children who use pretend play more likely to recognise self in mirror
Requires secondary representations without having it in front of you (pretend play)
Self beyond second year
Concrete observable characteristics - “I can run fast”
Comparative assessment - “I don’t do well in maths”
Self in adolescence
Abstract thinking
Mainly interpersonal
Variety of selves in different situations e.g. with friends, parents
Self esteem
Overall evaluation of self worth
Low self esteem in childhood = behavioural difficulties
SES, culture and genetics also influence it
Process of gay identity
First recognition (middle childhood) Test and exploration (adolescence) Identity and acceptance Identity integration
Why do children hide by closing their eyes?
2-4yo
Say that people can’t see them parts of their body are visible
Dualistic idea - physical body different to self
When they avert gaze they think they are hidden also
Joint attention may be required to feel visible
Sex vs. Gender
Sex - biological origins for differences in male and female
Gender - social categorisation of male or female
Baby X
Dressed baby neutrally with gendered toys and told participants it was a boy or a girl
Found that people treated it differently based on which gender label they thought it was e.g. girls pretty, boys strong
Gender knowledge 6-9mo
Distinguish male and female voices
Notice intermodal violation (look longer at male face with female voice)
