Chapter 8
sociometric liking and perceived popularity in childhood
-positively correlated
perceived popularity
-ratings of how well a child is liked by his or her peers, made by teachers, parents, and children
two types of neglected children
-socially reticent: watch others from afar, remain unoccupied in social company, and hover near but do not engage in interaction -unsociable or socially uninterested: not anxious or fearful but simply refrain from social interaction because they prefer to play alone
gender differences in types of play
girls: -quiet games, small groups, near school buildings, close to adult supervision -prefer play involving artistic endeavors, books, or dolls -like unstructured activities -are more intimate and exchange more information than boys -dyadic play boys: -active forceful play -play high energy, run-and-chase games in large groups that take up nearly 10 times as much space as girls' play -more competitive in their play than girls are -prefer organized games controlled by rules -group play
social play
-unoccupied play: play limited to child's own body, child is occupying self with anything of interest in the environment -solitary play: child plays alone and is focused on his own play -onlooker play: children watch or talk to other children engaged in play activity, asks questions or gives suggestions, but not involved in play activity -parallel play: children play in similar activities often side-by-side, play beside each other rather than with other children -associative play: children play with other children, interact by sharing toys and commenting on each other's activities, not working together on the activity -cooperative play: children play with each other and are completely interacting, cooperating, reciprocating, sharing common goals
sociometric liking and perceived popularity in adolescence
-weak or no relationship
cognitive play
-functional play: simple repetitive muscle movements with or without objects -constructive play: manipulation of objects to construct or create something -dramatic play: substitution of an imaginary situation to satisfy the child's personal wishes and needs -games with rules: acceptance of prearranged rules and the adjustment to these rules
sociometric popularity
-high liking and acceptance -may or may not have high status/power
sociometric techniques
-how individuals are perceived by members of their peer group -nominations; roster and rating -peer acceptance: extent child preferred/liked by peers -peer rejection: extent child disliked by peers
dyads
-interactions between pairs of children
pretend play
-make-believe activities in which children create new symbolic relationships -object substitution: using a broom to represent a horse -sociodramatic play: playing doctor, teacher -emerges around 18 months
outcomes of play
-more complex cognitive and social play -role taking - empathy, tole-taking - spatial egocentrism, popularity, maturity, high self-esteem, better ToM
bad outcomes of play - nonsocial play
-peer rejection, social anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, low academic performance -may provide indicator of low social responsiveness (autism)
perceived popularity
-peers perceived to have status, visibility, and ability to influence -may or may not be liked -if aggressive, only viewed as popular by other aggressive children -if aggressive, often results in delinquency, poor academics
types of peer status
-popular children: liked by many peers and disliked by very few -average children: have some friends but are not as well liked as popular children -neglected children" are often socially isolated and, although they are not necessarily disliked, have few friends -controversial children: liked by many peers but also disliked by many -rejected children: disliked by many peers and liked by very few
friend
-a peer with whom the child has a special relationship -regular, sustained interactions, reciprocal liking and respect
peer status measures
-acceptance = number of "most liked" nominations from peers -rejection = number of "least liked" nominations from peers -social preference = acceptance minus rejection, measures likeability or sociometric popularity -social impact = acceptance plus rejection, measures visability within group or perceived popularity
play
-activities that are pursued for their own sake -only motivation is the enjoyment received from play -becomes more complex as children age
causes of types of play
-age: negatively correlated with unoccupied, solitary, parallel & positively correlated with associative, cooperative -iq: negatively correlated with unoccupied, solitary, onlooker & positively correlated with parallel, associative, parallel -gender of peer: playing with same-sex friends increases gender stereotyped play activities, mixed-sex play involves non-stereotyped activities -greater pretend play if: high SES and educational level of parents, discuss inner states with siblings during play
two types of rejected children
-aggressive-rejected: not accepted by their peers because of their low levels of self-control and high level of aggression -nonaggressive-rejected: tend to be anxious, withdrawn, and socially unskilled
peer
-another child of roughly the same age -short interactions, minimal commitment
nonsocial play
-children watch or converse with other children engaged in play activities -about half of 2-year-olds engage in this type of play -unoccupied play -onlooking behavior -solitary play
groups
-cliques, teams, and crowds with norms, rules, and hierarchies
good outcomes of play - nonsocial play
-develop emotions and language, independent/maturity, attention spans, task persistence, problem solving by self and with peers, high self esteem
two types of popular children
-popular-prosocial: friendly toward their peers and well liked -popular-aggressive: athletic, arrogant, and aggressive but at the same time viewed as "cool" and attractive
