CPSY620 - Lecture 4 - Social Status

Housekeeping and Class Announcements

• Introduction

  • Instructor welcomes students and addresses technology issues.

• Grade Updates

  • Grade scope has been fixed; Unit 1 and Unit 2 grades should be properly updated.

  • Students should email the instructor if they cannot access their grades for resolution.

• Upcoming Class (Friday)

  • Tying up loose ends.

  • Discussion centered on final written exam questions.

  • Finish the gender lecture and discuss political groups.

  • Assigned readings:

  • Only the Leschen article is required; the Helwig article is removed from Canvas.

  • Breakout group on the nWrite article relevant to current class.

  • Reminder of an online seminar by Dr. Sylvia Perry on discussing race with children, happening Friday from 2:30 to 3:30 PM on Zoom. Email for link.

  • Change in office hours:

  • Moved from noon to two, now held from one to three.

Learning Goals for Today's Class

• Theme: Social Status

• Goals: 1. Identify how researchers measure subjective social status (SSS) and summarize key developmental findings.

  2. Examine children’s associations of social groups with higher or lower status.

  3. Explore how status judgments shape asymmetrical social preferences.

Breakout Group Activity

• Prompt for Discussion: - Discuss cues used to determine social status among peers at Brown University and as children.

• Questions to Consider: - What cues do you use as adults? What cues did you use as children?

• Duration: 2-3 minutes for discussion.

Discussion of Social Status Cues

• Volunteer Responses: - Status indicators mentioned:

  • Physical Attributes: Speed, strength related to popularity.

  • Wealth Indicators: Type of cars, house size indicating wealth.

  • Possessions: Desire for basements with TVs as a status symbol during childhood.

  • Clothing: Shoes worn to activities perceived as status indicators.

  • Vacations and Extracurricular Activities: Noticeable indicators of social status.

  • Adult Roles: Jobs believed to confer status in childhood.

Complexities of Social Status

• Multifaceted Nature of Status: - Relationship between status and power; not always synonymous.

  • Focus on material wealth due to prevalent research themes.

  • Mention of a pertinent paper about social status children read this class.

Subjective Social Status (SSS) Understanding in Children

• Definition of Subjective Social Status (SSS):

  • Refers to an individual’s perception of their social position within the socioeconomic structure of their community.

  • Influences health outcomes: Perceptions of lower social status lead to poorer health, reduced life expectancy, and increased depressive symptoms.

• Research Paper Insights:

  • Dorsa Meer & colleagues examined SSS across diverse societies using the MacArthur ladder task. Their findings indicated that children's perception of their status generally declines as they age. This pattern was observed in data analyzed from the United States, India, and indigenous communities in Ecuador and Argentina. Specifically, in the U.S., older children tended to rank themselves lower on the status ladder, suggesting an improved accuracy in their assessment of their actual social status over time.

• MacArthur Ladder Task Description:

  • Visualize a ladder where:

  • Top = Highest status (wealth, education, respect).

  • Bottom = Lowest status (least resources, no support).

  • Participants asked to place their family on this ladder.

  • Critique: The measure conflates multiple status dimensions (wealth, education, respect) into a single metric.

Developmental Findings: Changes in SSS Over Age

• Findings indicate children’s perception of their status declines as they age. - Data analyzed from the United States, India, and indigenous communities in Ecuador and Argentina.

  • In the U.S., older children rank themselves lower on the status ladder, suggesting improved accuracy regarding their actual social status.

Accuracy of Status Perception

• Accuracy Metrics:

  • Children’s SSS judgments improve accuracy, indicating older children become more aware of their actual social status.

• Study by Rebecca Paratz Ling:

  • Rebecca Paratz Ling's study examined three to ten-year-olds in the U.S., investigating how children's subjective social status (SSS) aligned with their family’s actual social status. The study utilized family ZIP code data to objectively correlate subjective perceptions with real-world socioeconomic indicators. Key findings from this research showed that children’s SSS judgments improve in accuracy with age, suggesting that older children become more aware and accurate in perceiving their actual social standing. Children provided varied explanations for their SSS placements, often based on what they possessed versus what they lacked, with some examples demonstrating differing understandings of material possessions versus social situations.

• Children's Explanations:

  • Varied explanations for their SSS placements based on what they had versus what they lack.

  • Two verbatim examples demonstrate differences in understanding possessions versus social situations.

Correlations of SSS with Children’s Perceptions of Wealth

• # Findings Summary: - Subjective SSS relates more with perceived deficits rather than possessions.

  • Children’s reporting often emphasizes what they lack compared to others.

Broader Implications and Insights

• Link to Previous Classes: - Discussion of in-group and out-group biases concerning social status.

  • Comparison of gender biases and racial perceptions among children.

• Further Research Needs: - Need for deeper understanding and better measurements of status dynamics in children’s perceptions.

• Final Thoughts: - Status judgments are not fixed; societal hierarchies can be reshaped.

  • Opportunities exist to address biases and improve children’s understanding of status.

Conclusion

• Wrap-Up: - Encouragement for questions as class concludes.

  • Emphasis on the importance of continuing exploration in understanding social hierarchies in childhood.