Chapter 12 Emotional and Social Development in Middle Childhood Kohlberg s theory o Considered how kids respond to moral dilemmas Kids reasoning about moral issues becomes more sophisticated with development o 3 levels 6 stages of moral reasoning o Internalization defines levels and stages o Level Stage change based on perspective taking opportunities and experienced conflicts o Level 1 Preconventional level Dominates most of childhood early to middle childhood No internalization Focus on rewards and punishments related to actions o Level 2 Conventional Level Late childhood to early adolescence Intermediate internalization Beliefs based on what others have taught Considers How will the action be judged by others Will it lead to the approval by others o Level 3 Post conventional Level Adolescence and young adulthood Total internalization Beliefs based on what you think is right and wrong Go through a questioning stage ex abortion Moral development o Kohlberg suggested School aged child Internalization is intermediate Accepting the rules of others o Most Americans seem to be operating on Level 2 Boys are further along than girls especially in individualistic societies Criticism o Kohlberg only researched middle class white boys o Gilligan Girls use a morality of care and connectedness emphasizing nurturance and compassion Males base morality on justice Ex independent rights Peer Relationships Developmental Changes o Peers become more important o Peer interaction increases for recreation group identification and friendships o Peer competence impacts future can predict well being later on o Size of group increases and adult supervision decreases with age o Same sex group preferences until age 12 Same sex groups about 85 of the time Friendship in Middle Childhood o Like each other s personal qualities o Trust becomes important o More selective in choosing o Friendships can last several years o Influence each other s behavior Peer Acceptance Peer Statuses o Popular 12 Frequently nominated as a best friend Rarely disliked by peers Two types Prosocial sociometric Prestige o Average 60 o Neglected 6 7 Receive average number of positive and negative votes Infrequently nominated as a best friend but not disliked by others Fly under the radar Often put energy into school work o Rejected 12 Infrequently nominated as a best friend Actively disliked by peers Two types Aggressive Withdrawn o Controversial 6 7 Frequently nominated as someone s best friend and as being disliked Peer Acceptance Categories o Peer acceptance powerful predictor of current and later psychological adjustment o Rejected children are o Peer rejection in middle childhood is also strongly associated with Unhappy Alienated Poorly achieving Low self esteem Dropping out Antisocial Delinquents in adolescence Poor school performance Absenteeism Criminality in emerging adulthood o Physical aggression decreases during middle childhood o Social relational aggression peaks during transition between middle childhood and Aggression adolescence Gender differences o See Figure 12 2 Differences in Social versus Physical Aggression by Age Bullies and Their Victims Sharp spike in girls social aggression o About 1 in 10 are victimized o Victimization leads to adjustment problems including depression loneliness low self esteem and poor school performance o Girls bully differently
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