Selmans Research

Question 1

Selmans levels of

Answer 1

Perspective taking

Question 2

Def egocentrism

Answer 2

The child’s tendency to only be able to see the world from their own point of view, both physically and during arguments

Question 3

Def perspective taking

Answer 3

Is the ability to appreciate a social situation from another persons point of view

Question 4

Selman suggested the Ability of

Answer 4

Perspective taking

Question 5

Aim of selmans research

Answer 5

To look at the changes that occurred with age in children’s responses to scenarios in which they are asked to take the role of different people in social situations

Question 6

Participants in selmans research

Answer 6

Middle class, American, 10 of each gender in all 3 age groups (ages 4,5,6)

Question 7

Method selmans research

Answer 7

Children given tasks to measure perspective taking ability involving asking how each child felt in various scenarios

Question 8

Example scenario selmans research

Answer 8

Eg holly was told she wasn’t allowed to climb trees by her dad, she comes across her friends kitten stuck in a tree. The child would have to express how each person: Holley, her dad and her friends would feel if she didn’t/ didn’t climb the tree to save the kitten

Question 9

Findings of selmans research

Answer 9

Found that the response quality of children is age reflective, there was a distinct pattern correlated with age causing selmans stages to be formed

Question 10

How many stages

Answer 10

5

Question 11

First stage

Answer 11

Stage 0 - socially egocentric

Question 12

Age of stage 0

Answer 12

Age 3-6

Question 13

Features of socially egocentric stage

Answer 13

Children can’t distinguish between own and others emotions

- they can identify emotions but not what caused them

Question 14

What is stage 1

Answer 14

Social information role taking

Question 15

Age of stages 1

Answer 15

Age 6-8

Question 16

Key features of social information role taking

Answer 16

• can tell difference between own and others view

- however, usually only focus in on one of these perspectives as a result of differing info

Question 17

Stage 2 name

Answer 17

Self reflective role taking

Question 18

Age of stage 2

Answer 18

Age 8-10

Question 19

Key features of self reflective role taking

Answer 19

• children can take on and completely appreciate another individuals point of view
• however they can only take onboard one point of view at a time

Question 20

Stage 3 name

Answer 20

Mutual role taking

Question 21

Age of stage 3

Answer 21

Age 10-12

Question 22

Features of mutual role taking

Answer 22

• children can assume perspective of a disinterested third person and how they will react to the viewpoint of others
• children can consider their one and another point of view at the same time

Question 23

Name of stage 4

Answer 23

Social and conventional role taking

Question 24

Age of stage 4

Answer 24

12+

Question 25

Features of social and conventional role taking

Answer 25

• child can understand another persons perspectives through comparing it to the society in which they live in
• child expects others to take the point of view of most people in their social group to keep in order

Question 26

4 evaluation points

Answer 26

Weakness - doesn’t apply to people who are atypically developing
Weakness - too simplistic
Strength - research support
Strength - follow up longitudinal study

Question 27

Elaboration weakness - doesn’t apply to people who are atypically developing

Answer 27

• Marton et al looked at how perspective taking can be related to ADHD children
• researched 50 8-12 year olds on tasks of perspective taking
• found there were much poorer than controls at identifying feelings and understandings
• poor generalisability

Question 28

Elaboration of weakness - too simplistic

Answer 28

• there’s slot more social development than purely looking for cognitive vulnerability as selman does
• it doesn’t considers emotional self regulations or empathy
• reduced validity because doesn’t account for external factors

Question 29

Elaboration strength - research support

Answer 29

• Fitzgerald and white looked at he development of perspective taking in relation to parenting style
• they found parents who encourage children to look at things frim the victims point of view had better growth of social cognition
• supporting importance of development of perspective taking in overall social cognition

Question 30

Elaboration strength - follow up longitudinal study

Answer 30

• grucharrj and selman did follow up longitudinal study involving 41 boys
• none of the children regressed their ability to understand perspective
• all had made improvements and none had skipped stages
• shows selmans stages are accurate
• increases validity