Cognition and development

Discuss Selman’s research on perspective taking (8)

AO1

• Selman focused on social understanding/social perspective-taking/role-taking

• proposed the ability to take perspective of others develops through 5 levels

• the levels show an age-related shift from egocentric view to broader cultural/moral understanding reflecting understanding of other people’s points of view

• Selman’s levels: egocentric, social informational role-taking, self-reflective role-taking, mutual/third party role-taking, social and conventional system (societal) role-taking

• introduced the idea of interpersonal dilemmas – stories requiring multiple perspectives and moral understanding, eg Holly and the kitten

• proposed applications, eg for interpersonal understanding and negotiation.

DO NOT JUST TALK ABOUT HOLLY KITTEN STUDY

AO3

• neglects the importance of empathy and emotion – sole focus is on understanding

• does not differentiate between perspective-taking in family interaction and peer interaction situations

• does not take account of children’s complex social worlds in modern society, eg family, nursery, step-families, on-line environments, cultural differences

• use of evidence to support/contradict Selman’s theory, eg Gurucharri and Selman (1982) – longitudinal evidence for age-related change; Selman and Byrne (1974) viewpoint of characters in a dilemma, changes with age; Fitzgerald and White (2003) – linked parenting style and perspective taking

• parallels with Piaget’s findings on egocentrism • practical application in conflict resolution, family therapy, mediation etc.

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