Relating to OthersPeer RelationshipsToddlers: beginnings of friendship+ social play (as opposed to parallel play)Prefer toddlers to adultsPrefer friends+ conflict with friends (compared to non-friends)Why?Interact more, more opportunities for conflictMore expectations with a friendPlay DevelopmentPretend Play (~18 months old)Discover world risk-freeSymbolic play (Piaget Idea)E.g., feeding pillowE.g., driving a boxCulturally conditionsWhat adults doEx: their play “phone” is a hand now instead of how we used toDramatic Play (by age 3)Play is more complexPeaks at 6: coordinated fantasies (kids share an imaginary world)Rigidity: sign of stressPlay & Rules: PeersVideo: stopping a game because someone “doesn’t know how to play” or is “breaking rules”Peer AcceptanceRate peersTypes:Popular: most positivesRejected: most negatives (esp. aggressive), least positivesNeglected: liked or disliked by few (below the radar)AverageControversial: liked or disliked by manyEx: class clown: liked because funny, disliked because annoyingRejected kidsRejected kids are more at riskMore school problemsMore psychological problemsHowever… chicken & egg problemPossible reputational biasBeing rejected because they have more school or psychological problemsCauses?Parenting (attachment – IWM)Power assertion (authoritarian parenting)  aggressionParental gatekeeping/coaching/modelingGatekeeping: who can come over and who can’tCognitive skillsChildren who have better language abilities, social cognition, theory of mind, executive function (inhibit certain behaviors)Other causes?Poverty: if someone comes to school with the same clothes or smellyStereotypingNegative outlooks emerge over childhoodRaceGenderWealthWeightAttractivenessHow are inter-group attitudes formed?Presence of salient difference (gender, race/ethnicity)?Bigler: Camp, 6-9 year olds“Blue” or “yellow” t-shirt groupsFunctional Use vs. No Functional UseWithin Functional Use Group: grouped by biological attribute (hair color) vs. RandomAfter a month, measure attitudesGroups (towards in and out group)Individual PeersResultsFunctional Use MattersBiological vs. Random didn’t matterMore self-esteem  More negative intergroup attitudesEx: If a blue shirt self reports high self esteem, they have more negative attitudes towards yellow shirtsTake Home MessageIf you want to avoid development of in group/out group members, don’t divide children based of off attributesIn- & out- group behaviorSherif (1953): “Robber’s Cave” camp11 year old boys – strangersMiddle ClassBrightWell-Adjusted2 Separate CampsCompetitionHostilities emergedFlag burning, raidsSocial didn’t workCooperation! (worked)Given a water tank goal that had to be done by both groups working together, couldn’t be done by onePatterns changeableSibling Relationships: VideoAggressionTypesInstrumental A: A as means to an endTo obtain a concrete goal (because you want something)Ex: hitting a sibling because you want a toyHostile A: Hurting othersRelational A: damage friendships, social status, self-esteemEx: say things behind someone’s back to damageInstrumental AMore instrumental A between ages 1-2Age 2: PossessionWant toy someone else wants“Winning” mattersRelational AGirls: VideoMean GirlsSocial Learning TheoryLearn aggression from observationBandura (1965): “Bobo doll” (you can hit it and it bounces back)Preschoolers saw A adult modelConditions (that child is watching):Model-rewardedModel-punishNo-consequencesResults:More aggression if adult not punishedLearn that A is acceptable from adultsImplications given our culture?Punishment  Aggression?Dodge (1994): kids entering kindergartenParents: Disciplinary practices?Kids saw short videosNegative social actsEx: kid accidentally bumps another, spilling his juiceAsked how they would behave6 months later: measure amount of aggressionIf harmed during discipline (12%): more aggressionAmbiguous events  more of a hostile interpretationEx: juice spilling interpreted as being intentionalReactive Aggression (Dodge): Another Form of AggressionRetaliatoryHostile attributional bias (Dodge)Expect hostility from othersChildren expect others to be hostile (in ambiguous situation)Find cues compatible with biasReact aggressivelyIncreased in physically-abused kidsResilience: N/NMoffit & Caspi: New Zealand studyMaltreated boysIf genes coded for more MAOA (a protein) activity, LESS likely to have antisocial problemsGenes protect against environment: RESILIENCE!Genetic vulnerability  Negative outcomesChild Psychology 560: Social Development and Social Cognition (3) 03/04/2014Relating to Others Peer Relationships-Toddlers: beginnings of friendship-+ social play (as opposed to parallel play)oPrefer toddlers to adultsoPrefer friends-+ conflict with friends (compared to non-friends)oWhy?Interact more, more opportunities for conflictMore expectations with a friend-Play Development oPretend Play (~18 months old)Discover world risk-freeSymbolic play (Piaget Idea)E.g., feeding pillowE.g., driving a boxCulturally conditionsWhat adults do -Ex: their play “phone” is a hand now instead of how we used tooDramatic Play (by age 3)Play is more complexPeaks at 6: coordinated fantasies (kids share an imaginary world)Rigidity: sign of stress -Play & Rules: PeersoVideo: stopping a game because someone “doesn’t know how to play” or is “breakingrules”Peer Acceptance -Rate peers -Types: oPopular: most positivesoRejected: most negatives (esp. aggressive), least positives oNeglected: liked or disliked by few (below the radar)oAverageoControversial: liked or disliked by many Ex: class clown: liked because funny, disliked because annoying -Rejected kids oRejected kids are more at risk More school problems More psychological problemsoHowever… chicken & egg problemPossible reputational bias Being rejected because they have more school or psychological problemsoCauses?Parenting (attachment – IWM)Power assertion (authoritarian parenting)  aggression Parental gatekeeping/coaching/modelingGatekeeping: who can come over and who can’t Cognitive skills Children who have better language abilities, social cognition, theory of mind, executive function (inhibit certain behaviors)Other causes?Poverty: if someone comes to school with the same clothes or smellyStereotyping-Negative outlooks emerge over