ch.12- socioemotional dev.

Who is a contextual influence on children during socioemotional development?

Caregivers, Teachers, culture

Self Concept

shifts from concrete descriptions of behavior to trait-like psychological constructs

How do children learn about themselves when they develope self concept?

through interactions with peers, teachers, and caregivers

What domains make up children’s developing self-concept in middle childhood?

Children form self-concepts across multiple areas, including physical, academic, social, and behavioral aspects of themselves.

Self-Esteem

aided by perspective taking, children compare their characteristics, abilities, and performance with peers, which influences their competence.

What predicts postive self esteem?

Positive parent–child interactions and a secure attachment to parents

Compared to preschoolers, how does self esteem change during middle childhood?

Becomes more realistic

What can cause self-esteem to vary and ratings to change

ethnic, contextual, and cultural factors

What does Erikson’s “Industry vs.Inferiority” imply?

Need to develop a sense of competence

Achivement motiation

Willingness to persist at challenging tasks and meet high standards of accomplishment based on internal and external attributions

Internal attributions

their own role in the outcome.

External attributions

Causes that cannot be controlled.

How do caregivers contibute to contextual influence

Warm and supportive parenting that fosters autonomy can help develop mastery orientation.

What can influence a child’s motivation

Socioeconomics

Children of caregivers with a fixed view of abilities are likely to show

Learned helplessness

How do teachers contribute to contextual influence

Students succeed when Teachers believe they can

Mastery orientation is supported when teachers…

attribute failure to lack of effort, stress learning over performance

How does culture contribute to contextual influence

Across cultures, children identify family as being a strong influence on achievement

Are boys and girls different?

No, there is a greater number and variety of differences within each sex than there is between boys and girls

How does growth differ between girls and boys?

Throughout childhood, boys and girls show similar rates of growth

How does activity level differ between girls and boys

At all ages (even prenatally), boys tend to be more physically active than girl

How does agression differ between girls and boys

Boys tend to exhibit more physical and verbal aggression, whereas girls tend to demonstrate more relational aggression.

What type of aggression do girls predominantly show?

Relational agression

How does emotional expression differ between boys and girls?

Girls tend to express happiness and sadness more often than boys, boys express more anger.

How does implusivity differ between boys and girls?

Throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, males tend to demonstrate higher rates of impulsivity

What are the two cognitive skills that may show differences between boys and girls

verbal and spatial

How do verbal skills differ between boys and girls?

Girls show an advantage in reading comprehension and verbal fluency tasks through adolescence.

How do spatial skills differ between boys and girls?

Boys have an advantage in mental rotation, or the ability to recognize a stimulus rotated in space.

How do mathematical skills differ between boys and girls?

• Boys and girls nowadays demonstrate similar numerical skills, implying that socialization influences how boys and girls approach math.

How do children express gender knowledge in early–middle childhood?

as rigid rules that influence their preferences for toys, activities, and playmates.

What types of peer preferences do children typically show?

A strong preference for same-sex peers.

How do children tend to respond to gender non-conformity?

With low tolerance for behaviors that don’t fit gender stereotypes.

What happens to gender rigidity over time?

It declines as children develop gender constancy and understand that gender stays the same across situations.

How do gender stereotypes influence children's development?

They shape children’s preferences and their views of their own abilities

On what basis do children typically select friends?

Children choose friends who are similar to them in personality, cognitive ability, demographics (race, gender, ethnicity), and contextual factors.

How do friendships change as children age?

Friendships become stronger, closer, and more intimate with age.

When do intimate friendships typically develop for girls?

Earlier in development compared to boys.

What is the impact of losing a close friend in middle and late childhood?

The impact is substantial and can lead to emotional difficulties unless the child forms a new close friendship.

How can children show resilience after losing a friend?

By replacing a lost friend with a new friend, which reduces negative emotional effects.

What is the biggest predictor of negative impact for children without friends?

Their desire for friendship.

What are the characteristics of “popular” children?

have a variety of positive characteristics and are skilled in emotional regulation and social information processing.

Children w/cross-race friends show…

Show lower tolerance for excluding others, Are less prone to peer victimization, Feel socially and emotionally safer at school

Bullying

child repeatedly attempts to inflict physical, verbal, or social harm on another child

How do boys typically engage in bullying?

Boys who bully are often physically larger and use physical bullying, targeting both boys and girls.

How do girls typically engage in bullying?

Girls who bully tend to be verbally assertive and use verbal or psychological (relational) bullying, typically targeting other girls.

Why can bullying be socially successful?

Relational bullying is linked to social skills; bullies often make friends easily, appear dominant, and show little anxiety or insecurity.

What parenting factors are associated with children who bully?

Hostile and rejecting parenting, lax attitudes toward aggression, and teaching children to “strike back.”

What are common outcomes for children who bully?

Higher rates of depression, lower academic achievement, and less perceived support from teachers.

What personality characteristics are common among children who are bullied?

They are often quiet, cautious, shy, nonassertive, and socially withdrawn.

What parenting style is associated with children who are bullied?

intrusive, overprotective, or highly critical parenting.

What are provocative victims (bully-victims)?

Aggressively rejected children who show characteristics of both bullies and victims and experience the worst outcomes.

Why is cyberbullying especially harmful?

It is difficult to avoid and less likely to be reported or intervened on.

What is the general impact of divorce on children?

Effects are typically small, often temporary, and do not apply to all children; most adjust within 2 years.

What factors buffer children from negative effects of divorce?

High-quality family relationships and supportive parenting help protect children from stress related to divorce.

What is more influential on children's adjustment than divorce itself?

Parenting strategies and parental conflict—chronic conflict increases stress, physiological arousal, and poor adjustment.

What are current trends in divorce rates?

Divorce rates peaked in the 1980s and have declined, but about 40% of marriages end within 15 years.

How do children of stable, caring cohabiting parents typically develop?

They develop just as well as children with married parents when the relationship is close, caring, and stable.

How do children of stable, caring cohabiting parents typically develop?

Cohabiting unions are less stable—about 1/3 end within 3 years, compared to marriages, which take about 10 years for 1/3 to end.

What factors primarily affect children in cohabiting families?

Transitions and socioeconomic status (SES), similar to children of single parents.

How do cultural/contextual norms affect outcomes for children in cohabiting families?

Cohabitation is more common among Black and Hispanic families, where children often show better outcomes compared to contexts where cohabitation is less normative.

What are common positive outcomes for only children?

• Positive adjustment, High self-esteem, High achievement, Closer relationships and more attention from parents

What stereotype about only children is not supported by research?

The stereotype that only children are spoiled, dependent, or maladjusted is not supported by evidence.

What relationship skills do children learn from sibling interactions?

Children learn relationship skills, including conflict resolution, because siblings remain in their lives consistently.

What is sibling rivalry and when does it typically arise?

Sibling rivalry includes fighting and interpersonal conflict, arises in middle childhood, and is influenced by social comparison among children and parents.

How common is sibling violence and what increases or decreases it?

Increases with family adversity. Decreases as families adjust and overcome adversity.

What is the importance of child-parent relationship?

Interactions with parents help children refine important skills for peer relationships

Harsh parenting styles and poor-quality parent–child relationships associated with

Poor adjustment, Antisocial activity, and delinquency into adolescence

mental rotation

The ability to recognize a stimulus rotated in space