PSYCH 130 - Peers

play

kids engage in activities for inherent enjoyment

benefits of play

empathy, cog and lang development, motor development and skills, emotional regulation

non-social play

unoccupied play, onlooker play, solitary play

social play

parallel play, associative play, cooperative play

nonsocial - unoccupied play

earliest stage, observe environment and move to understand how body works

nonsocial - onlooker play

child watches other kids play without joining

nonsocial - solitary play

child plays alone without interacting with others

social - parallel play

two kids play next to each other but independently

social - associative play

two kids play next to each other and share but don’t establish a shared understanding or set of rules

social - cooperative play

kids play together, come up with and adhere to a shared set of rules

peers

people of same age and status

friends

peers with intimate, reciprocated, positive relationships

determinants of friendship - social

sociable, similar interests, behavior, aged

determinants of friendship: cognitive

maturity, academic motivations, school activities

determinants of friendship - emotion

similar levels of distress and negative emotions

determinants of friendship - proximity

important for younger children, less important for older

change in friendship complexity description

increases over time across cultures at the same rate

friendship expression: 12-18 months

touching, smiling, engaging in positive interactionsf

friendship expression: 24 months

imitating, cooperative problem solving, trading roles during play

friendship expression: 3-4 years

make and maintain friends, have a best friend, same-gender play preferences

friendship expression: 5 years

communication, cooperation, collaboration, fight and negotiate

friendship expression: 6-8 years

define friendship by peer activities

friendship expression: 9 years

take care of friends’ physical and material needs, general assistance and helpfr

friendship expression: adolescence

source of intimacy and self-disclosure, honest feedback, less stable

tech and friendships

anonymity, less emphasis on appearance, more control, more access
- harms friendship quality, increases anxiety and depression

tech and friendships: gender differences

girls use it more generally, boys use it more for gaming

tech: rich-get-richer hypothesis

internet helps the people who are already good at using the internet

tech: social-compensation hypothesis

online comms better than face-to-face for socially anxious kids

impact of friendships on psychological functioning and behavior

support and validation, buffer against stress, develop social skills, cognitive skills, understand peer norms, positive later social outcomes

costs of friendship

aggression and disruptiveness, alcohol and substance abuse, bullying and victimization

who is cyberbullied

girls 2x likely as boys, socially anxious, distressed, depressed kids, LGBT kids

who bullies

people who think aggression solves problems, classrooms that accept bullying

friendship function: gender differences

girls want closeness and dependency, get more upset when betrayed, co-ruminate

sociometric status

measures of peer acceptance, how much are kids liked or disliked by their peers

sociometric status: popular

highly liked, highly impactful
- more emotional and behavioral strengths
- not necessarily most likeable, but athletic, attractive, wealthy
- above average in aggression

sociometric status: rejected

low in acceptance and preference, high in rejection, high in impact
- struggle in difficult social situations
- emotional and behavioral problems
- less developed TOM
- overly aggressive and withdrawn

sociometric status: aggressive-rejected

prone to aggression, disruption, hostility, withdrawn, wary, timid

sociometric status: withdrawn-rejected

socially anxious and withdrawn, victimized by peers, isolated, lonely, depressed

sociometric status: neglected

low in impact, not especially liked/disliked, go unnoticed
-socially competent, less disruptive, avoid aggression

sociometric status: average

moderate impact and preference

sociometric status: controversial

high in impact, average preference, noticed and liked by many, disliked by many
- popular and unpopular characteristics, group leaders

parental influence on peer relationships: monitoring

orchestrating young children’s peer interactions, allow engagement in social extracurriculars, know where and who your child is with

parental influence on peer relationships: coaching

teach children how to gain entry into a peer group, make suggestions

parenting quality and peer relationships

warm family style → socially skilled children, liked and cooperative, authoritarian family style → unpopular victimized children, positive parent-child relationship buffers bad peer relationships

peer stress, parent support and depressive symptoms

high peer stress and low parent support → high depressive symptoms, supportive parents → same depressive symptoms regardless of peer stress