Emo + Soc Dev Middle Childhood - PSYC 2021 (Final Exam)

self concept in middle childhood

refined and organized into general dispositions. between ages 8-11, children evaluate themselves based on competencies.

• older children compare themselves to multiple people at once.

social comparisons

school age children frequently engage in _______.

cognitive development in middle childhood.

influences the structure of the self. changing content of self-concept is a product of both cognitive capacities and feedback.

• perspective taking improves

• family + community support is important

cultural aspects of self-concept

• asian parents stress harmonious interdependence

• western parents emphasize independence and self-assertation.

self-esteem

children form at least four seperate ______:

• academic competence

• social competence

• physical/athletic competence

• appearance

children with high self esteem

_________ tend to be…

• well adjusted

• sociable

• conscientious

low self-esteem

linked to anxiety, depression, and antisocial behaviour

influences on self esteem

culture, gender, ethnicity, media exposure.

• TV viewing promotes higher self-esteem in euro-american boys.

• TV viewing predicts lower self-esteem in african-american children, and euro-american girls.

child rearing influences on self esteem

• secure attachment and an authoritative style are linked to higher self esteem.

• indulgent parents may create narcissistic children

• controlling parents communicate a sense of inadequacy.

inflated praise

actually lowers a child’s self esteem.

self-compassion

securely attached children are likely to have learned a protective ______.

mastery-oriented attributions

children credit their success to ability that can be improved with effort. they have a growth mindset about ability.

learned helplessness

children instead attribute failures to ability and credit external factors for successes. they hold a fixed mindset about ability.

person praise

parents _______ teaches children that ability is fixed and leads them to retreat from challenges.

progress praise

teaches that competence develops through hard work and effective strategies.

parent and teacher influences on self esteem

• negative stereotypes based on gender/SES.

• cultural values influence adults’ messages and children’s mindsets.

attribution retraining

an intervention that encourages learned-helplessness children to believe that they can overcome failure with more effort and effective strategies.

chinese mothers

______ were more likely than US mothers to make task-relevant statements regardless if their child succeeded or failed.

pride 

governed by personal responsibility. motivates children to take on further challenges.

guilt

governed by personal responsibility. prompts them to make amends and strive for self improvement.

shame

contributes to adjustment problems.

emotional understanding

• children are more likely to explain emotion by referring to internal states

• they become more aware of circumstances that spark mixed emotions

• they become appreciative of mixed emotions

gains in emotional understanding

_________ are supported by cognitive development and social experiences, which contribute to a rise in empathy.

emotional self-regulation

children shift between:

• problem-centered coping

• emotion-centered coping

emotional self-efficiency

when emotional self-regulation develops well, school-age children acquire _______.

cultural influences on emotional self-regulation

• hindu emphasis on control of emotional behavior

• buddhist emphasis on a calm, peaceful disposition

• western emphasis on personal rights, self-expression

moral rules

children develop a flexible application of _____:

• actions and their immediate impact

• actors intentions and the context or aim

moral development

• perspective taking becomes reoccurring

• distinguish between effect of errors of knowledge and immoral beliefs

• recognize different reasons for deception

understanding individual rights

• children challenge adult authority within personal domain

• notions of personal choice enhances children’s moral understanding

older children and individual rights

they often place limits on individual choice. they typically favor kindness and fairness when faced w/ conflicting concerns

culture + moral understanding

children and adolescents in diverse cultures use similar criteria to reason about fairness.

development of prejudice

in-group favoritism emerges first, followed by out-group prejudice.

• children pick up info about group status from their surroundings.

• many minority children show out-group favoritism.

racial and ethnic biases

the extent to which children hold ________ depends on personal situations and factors.

• fixed view of personality traits

• overly high self-esteem

• social world where people are sorted into groups

strategies to reduce prejudice

• intergroup contact

• long term collaboration w/ neighborhood, school, and community groups

• diverse schools that value fairness and justice

• teaching children 8+ about socioeconomic inequalities

peer groups

generate unique values and standards for behaviour and a social structure of leaders and followers.

• form on the basis of proximity and similarity

• adopt similar dress and behaviour

peer culture

involves a specialized vocab, dress code, and place to hang out. often involves exclusion of peers who deviate. relational aggression may occur (bullying others)

friendships

become more complex and psychologically based. trust is the defining feature.

• more selective

• high quality ones are fairly stable

peer acceptance

likability or the extent to which a child is viewed as a worthy partner. assessed through social preferences.

peer acceptence categories

• popular children

• rejected children

• controversial children

• neglected children

• average children

popular pro-social children

socially accepted, admired.

popular anti-social children

relationally aggressive boys and girls who also engage in prosocial acts.

rejected aggressive children

high rates of conflict, aggression, and impulsive behaviour.

rejected withdrawn children

passive and socially awkward.

controversial children

engage in positive and negative social behaviours but they have qualities that protect them from exclusion.

neglected children

are typically well-adjusted, simply not sociable or outgoing.

rejected children

need intervention and then help from adults to make gains in social skills and overcome their negative reputation. 

peer victimization

a destructive form of interaction in which certain children become targets of verbal and physical attacks or other forms of abuse.

• linked to impaired (lower) production of cortisol

changes in family structure

• single parents

• later marriage

• divorce

• women’s employment

• poverty

• remarriage

parent-child relationships

children’s overall well-being depends on the quality of family interaction. sustained by

• supportive ties to kin

• the community

• favourable public policies

coregulation

the process where two or more people help each other manage their emotions and behaviors. caregivers can handle the growing independence of middle childhood with _____

sibling rivarly

tends to increase in middle childhood. may be because of jealousy over paternal attention.

siblings

• _____ rely on each other for companionship and emotional support

• when ______ get along it contributes to more favourable achievement and peer relationships

only children

same as those with siblings in personality traits and number of high quality friends. relatively less well-accepted in peer groups.

• relatively higher in self-esteem, levels of education, and achievement motivation.

single parenthood

increases financial hardship. adjustment problems associated w/ economic disadvantage.

children w/o paternal involvement

show less favourable cognitive development and engage in more antisocial behaviour.

immediate consequences of divorce

• instability, conflict, and a drop in income

• parental stress

• disorganized family life

long-term consequences of divorce

• improved adjustment after 2 years

• more problems among boys and children w/ difficult temperaments

• affected by the extent of father’s involvement

divorce mediation

increases out-of-court settlements and parent’s cooperation in child rearing.

parent education programs

encourage parents to resolve disputes.

joint custody

grants each parent equal say in important child-rearing decisons.

child support

helps relieve the financial strain.

blended (reconstituted) family

when a parent, stepparent, and children form a new family structure.

• parenting education + couples therapy help parents and children adapt

• divorce rate is higher

mother-stepfather family

most common blended family type.

• boys adjust more rapidly than girls

• older children show more problems

father-stepmother families

remarriage of a noncustodial father often reduces his contact with his bio children.

• negative reactions are common

• positive interactions between girls and stepmothers increase gradually

positive maternal employment

when mothers enjoy their work, maternal employment has many benefits:

• high self esteem

• positive family and peer relations

• fewer gender stereotypes

• better grades

negative maternal employment

when a mother’s employment is stressful:

• less time for children

• increased risk of ineffective parenting

self-care children

regularly look after themselves for the same period of time during after school hours.

• increases w/ age and SES

• young children who spend more time alone have adjustment difficulties

supervision

before age 8 or 9, children need _____.

fears

____ of the dark, thunder and lightning, and supernatural beings persist.

• also include personal harm, academic failure, death, and peer rejection.

phobias

intense, unmanageable fears.

• some children develop school refusal

• harsh living conditions contribute to anxieties

fear of maternal seperation

ages 5 - 7.

fear of particular aspects of school

ages 11 - 13.

impact of political violence on children

when war is temporary, long term difficulties are not present.

• chronic danger can impair psychological functioning

• parental affection and reassurance are best protection against problems

child sexual abuse

most victims are female. most cases are reported in middle childhood.

• abusers are usually male, often a parent or someone known by a parent

consequences of child sexual abuse

• anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, anger, sleep difficulties, loss of appetite, suicidal thoughts, substance use.

• trauma focused therapy is usually needed.

children as eyewitnesses

older children are able to give more detailed accounts. resistant to misleading questions. nature of court often negatively affect children’s responses.

possible interventions for eyewitness testimonies

• court schools to prepare child witnesses

• unbiased open ended questions and a warm supportive interview tone

• methods to protect children from emotional trauma

resources that foster resilience

• personal traits

• family characteristics

• school characteristics

• community resources

personal traits that foster resilience 

easygoing temperament, intelligence, self-esteem, good emotional self-regulation.

family characteristics that foster resilience

trusting relationship with a parent, authoritative child rearing, supportive sibling(s).

school characteristics that foster resilience

• helpful and stimulating teachers

• lessons in tolerance and respect.

community resources that foster resilience

high quality after school programs, stability in neighbourhood and services, youth groups that promote prosocial behaviour.

the 4Rs

social and emotional learning program designed to reduce violence and increase academic motivation.

• teachers encourage discussion

• children become less depressed/aggressive and more attentive/socially competent.