Social Changes

Question 1

Peer Groups: Background

Answer 1

• Teens in US/Europe - twice as much time/week with peers as adults
• -Experience Sampling Method (ESM) – Larson & Richards (1994)

-Adolescent moods most positive when with friends

• All cultures  contact with peers
• -US - more narrowly defined and age segregated

Question 2

How does the peer group change in adolescence?

Answer 2

1. More time with peers, less time with parents
   - -Boys  more time alone; Girls  time alone and friends
2. Function without adult supervision
3. More contact with other-sex friends (kids - sex segregated)
4. Kid’s peer groups small (3 or 4) – adolescents larger groups –develop mini-cultures (jocks, brains)

Question 3

What causes the peer group to change in adolescence?

Answer 3

• Biological - Interest in other-sex relationships (puberty)
• Cognitive - Advanced understanding of relationships, ability for abstract categorization (social grouping)
• Social – larger, more anonymous setting of school - find those with similar interests and values (find your crowd)

Question 4

Cliques

Answer 4

3-8 individuals (avg. 5 or 6), same-sex, age

• -Defined by common activities (football, study buddies) or just by friendship
• -Main social context in which adolescents interact
• -Some exclusive; virtually all small enough where members feel they know each other

Question 5

Cliques: Examined in 9th Graders

Answer 5

• 9th graders - examined friendship networks; adolescents could be:
• -Clique members – more interactions with the same group of people
• -Liaisons – interact with 2+ members of cliques but aren’t in one
• -Isolates – few or no links to others
• Fewer than ½ in clique (despite idea adolescents are cliquish)
• Girls more likely in cliques, boys more likely isolates, positions stable over time (9th grade AND 10th grade)

Question 6

Crowds

Answer 6

Similar image, reputation among peers, or feature (ethnicity, neighborhood)

• -Not always friends or spend time interacting
• -Ex. Brains, populars, druggies, jocks
• –Common in Westernized places (jock not in Europe)

Question 7

Crowds: Examined in High Schoolers

Answer 7

• 1/2 of US HS in one crowd, 1/3 in two, 1/6 none
• Clique friends could belong to different crowds
• Crowds NOT clusters of cliques –entirely different purposes
• -Cliques teach social skills, what it means to be a friend;
• -Crowds contribute more to sense of identity and self-conception
• Might be stuck in crowd – don’t wish to belong

Question 8

Sociometric vs. Perceived popularity: Popularity &. Rejection

Answer 8

• Sociometric popularity – how well-liked someone is
• -Determined by social skills, friendliness, etc.
• Perceived popularity – how much status or prestige someone has
• -Determinants are highly variable – maybe good-looking or maybe rebellious

Question 9

Popularity and Rejection: Consequences of being a rejected adolescent (especially for males)

Answer 9

• Rejected adolescents – three types:
  1. Trouble controlling aggression
  2. Withdrawn, shy, anxious, inhibited – often victims of bullying (esp. boys).
  3. Aggressive and withdrawn – nervous about initiating friendship but also aggressive
• Carries over from childhood
• Significant source of stress– adolescents are more sensitive to emotions, expressions, opinions of others

Question 10

Experience Sampling Method

Answer 10

• Adolescents and adults carried pagers
• -beeped randomly throughout the day
• -were asked to report what they were doing, who they were with, and how they felt
• This method, known as the experience sampling method —gives researchers a window into people’s days
• adolescents’ moods overall were less stable than those of adults
• -experienced wider and quicker mood changes. The changes were unrelated to puberty, stress, a lack of personal control, or poor psychological adjustment
• -Adolescents’ mood swings varied with the context, and adolescents reported moving from one context to another, such as from school to work to family to peers, more often than did adults

Question 11

How peers play a crucial role in healthy psychosocial development

Answer 11

• Provide feedback that cannot get from adults
• Test out different roles, personalities, identities with greater ease than at home
• Big influence on academic achievement
• Peer time vital for autonomy/ decision-making skills
• Intimacy/sexuality – require interaction with two people who are relative equals

Question 12

David Elkind: Imaginary Audience

Answer 12

thinking/misdirecting people’s focus/attention is on you

Question 13

David Elkind: Personal Fable

Answer 13

thinking you have unique thoughts, ideas, feelings