Selman’s Levels Of Perspective Taking Flashcards
What is social cognition?
The cognitive ability to take on the viewpoint/perspective of another person in both physical and social situations
What is perspective taking?
The ability to see a situation from someone else’s point of view
What is social perspective-taking?
Understanding what someone else is feeling or thinking, and being able to take on multiple perspectives of an argument or conversation
What did Selman believe?
Social perspective-taking is a separate process and happens in stages (whereas Piaget thought it occurred with physical perspective-taking)
How many children were in Selman’s study?
30 boys, 30 girls
20 age 4, 20 age 5, 20 age 6
What happened in Selman’s study?
Children asked how different people felt in different situations (e.g. the ‘Holly Scenario’ - H promised her father she wouldn’t climb trees, then she sees her friend who’s kitten is stuck up a tree. How would each person feel if Holly did/didn’t climb the tree?)
How many stages did Selman propose?
5
What is the 0th stage of perspective taking and what is the age range?
Socially egocentric
3-6 years old
What is a description of the 0th stage of perspective taking?
Children are unable to take on the perspectives of others and so are egocentric. They can identify emotions in others but fail to understand what caused it.
What is the 1st stage of perspective taking and what is the age range?
Social information role-taking
6-8 years old
What is a description of the 1st stage of perspective taking?
Children can now tell the difference between their own point of view and that of others. Able to take on only a single perspective at each time.
What is the 2nd stage of perspective taking and what is the age range?
Self-reflective role-taking
8-10 years old
What is a description of the 2nd stage of perspective taking?
Children can fully identify with and take on the viewpoint of another person, but again, only focusing on 1 view at a time.
What is the 3rd stage of perspective taking and what is the age range?
Mutual role-taking
10-12 years old
What is a description of the 3rd stage of perspective taking?
Children can fully identify with and take on multiple perspectives at the same time
What is the 4th stage of perspective taking and what is the age range?
Social and conventional system role-taking
12+ years old
What is a description of the 4th stage of perspective taking?
Children understand that social rules are needed to maintain order when simply understanding the other person is not enough.
What is interpersonal understanding?
Understanding viewpoints of others
What are Interpersonal negotiation strategies?
Skills needed to respond to other people, not just understanding what they think (managing conflict, asserting our position)
What is Awareness of personal meaning of relationships?
Reflecting on social behaviour in the context of life and history and the full range of relationships
Summary of Gurucharri and Selman’s study?
- Longitudinal study using Selman’s methodology
- 41 male Ps over 5 years
- 40 developed perspective-taking in the way Selman suggested
What is a strength of Selman’s stages of perspective taking?
Solid research support
- Strong positive correlations
- Longitudinal studies support - high validity
What is real life application of Selman’s Stages of Perspective-taking?
Better understanding of neurodiverse development - ADHD and ASD have problems with perspective-taking
What is a limitation of Selman’s stages of perspective-taking?
Focuses too much in cognitive development - social + emotional factors also impact social development - therefore theory is too narrow.
What is a limitation of Selman’s stages of perspective-taking? (Cultural differences)
Evidence for cultural differences between American and Chinese children - Chinese Ps did much better at perspective-taking
What study supports ability of perspective taking?
Buijzen and Valkenburg (2008)
What was the procedure of Buijzen and Valkenburg (2008)?
Observational study in which researchers observed interactions including those in which parents refused to buy things their child wanted. The researchers noted any coercive behaviour in the children (i.e. trying to force parents to buy them things), which is an example of unhealthy social behaviour.
What were the findings of Buijzen and Valkenburg’s study?
Negative correlations between coercive behaviour and both age and perspective-taking ability (assessed by interview)
Why does Buijzen and Valkenburg’s study support Selman’s theory?
Suggests there is a relationship between perspective-taking skills and healthy social behaviour
