THE CONTEXT OF DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Lin Dan

 Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory

Macrosystem
Exosystem
Mesosystem
Microsystem
Immediate
context

Family school

Socioeconomic
Context
Cultural context

Chronosystem--Time 2
 PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION DURING
CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE

Socialization
Process by which children acquire the
beliefs, motives, values, and behaviors
considered appropriate by their culture
Parenting styles
 Four Patterns of Parenting
Authoritarian
Very restrictive, expect obedience, do
not explain why limits exist
Raise children with less favorable
developmental outcomes
 Authoritative
Controlling but flexible, make reasonable
demands, provide rationales for limits
Rational and democratic
Tend to raise highly competent, well-
adjusted children
 Permissive
Accepting but lax, few demands, little
monitoring
Raise children with less favorable
developmental outcomes
 Uninvolved
Extremely lax and undemanding
May have rejected their children
May be overwhelmed and cannot devote
energy to child rearing
Raise children who are aggressive,
selfish, rebellious
Perform poorly in school
Are likely to abuse drugs
 Behavioral Control versus Psychological
Control
Firm behavioral control tends to lead to
well-behaved children
Psychological control guilt, shame, or
withholding affection
Poor developmental outcomes
 Questions to discuss

Parenting styles in your family

You opinions on best parenting style?
The impact of different parenting styles in the
same family on childrens development?

Should parenting styles be changed as children

grow older?
Parenting styles and childrens characteristics?

Parenting styles and teaching styles?

 PEERS AS AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Who or What is a Peer and What Functions

Do Peers Serve?
Peers social equals, operating at similar
levels of behavioral complexity
Peers as Equal-Status Contacts
Contribute to social competencies


12
12
 PEERS AS AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

The Development of Peer Sociability

Sociability willingness to engage others
in social interaction and to seek their
attention or approval

Peer Sociability in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Begin interacting in middle of 1st year
 Sociability during the Preschool Period
Nonsocial activities declines with age
Onlooker play watch but do not join
Parallel play play side-by-side, little
interaction, declines with age
Associative play share, but do not
cooperate to achieve shared goals
Cooperative play collaborate
Both become more common with age
 Peer Sociability in Middle Childhood and
Adolescence
6-10 years like formal games
Contacts occur in peer groups
Interact on a regular basis
Provide a sense of belonging
Formulate norms
Develop a hierarchical organization
 Early adolescents
Form cliques 4-8 same-sex
members sharing values
Midadolescence same-sex cliques
interact forming heterosexual cliques
Cliques may also merge into crowds
similar attitudes and activities
Help form an identity, pave way for
dating relationships
Developmental changes in peer group by Dunphy
 Peer Acceptance and Popularity
Nominations of Kids you like

Lo Hi
Kids you dislike

Lo Neglected Popular

Hi Rejected Controversial
Victims
Victims Bullies
Bullies

Withdrawn
Withdrawn Aggressiv
Aggressiv
Socially
Socially ee
Competent
Competent
 Helping withdrawn children
Primary Control
Nonverbal behaviors (e.g., looking up, eye contact, voice
and tone regulation, facial expressions)
Conversation skills (e.g., speaking out, speaking aloud,
assertive greetings, response latency and duration)
Posture (e.g., sit back, stand tall, breath easily, no learning,
no fidgeting, no hopping)
Affect recognition (e.g., facial and vocal expressions and
their social implications)
Negative assertion (e.g., being able to say "no", being able
not to give in to unreasonable requests, and being able to
"shut out" and "walk away)
Positive Assertion (e.g., initializing interactions, giving
commands, and making complaints.)
Crisis management (e.g., deep breathing, not showing
distress, remaining calm, not drawing attention)

20
 Secondary Control
Have one or two close friend
Develop a talent or skill
Learn relaxation and self-soothing
technique
Play sports

21
 SCHOOL AS A SOCIALIZATION AGENT

Schools influence many aspects of

development
Curricula teach academic knowledge.
Promotes cognitive and metacognitive
growth by teaching problem solving skills
Informal curricula teach children skills to
obey rules, cooperate, and become good
citizens
 Determinants of Effective Schooling
Effective schools promote
Academic achievement
Social skills
Positive attitudes toward learning
Low absenteeism
Continuation of education beyond
required age
Acquisition of skills to find and hold jobs
 Factors that Do Not Contribute to Effective
Schooling
Monetary support
Class Size little effect on achievement
Best for students in K-1st grade
More extracurricular activity
involvement in small schools
Ability tracking
 Factors that Do Contribute to Effective
Schooling
Composition of the student body: highly
motivated and intellectually competent
are best
School climate: safety, support from
school personnel
 Scholastic atmosphere should have
An academic emphasis
A challenging, developmentally
appropriate curricula; should be
something students can relate to
Effective classroom management
Authoritative discipline practices
Teamwork (faculty and principal)
 THE EFFECTS OF TELEVISION ON CHILD
DEVELOPMENT

Children 3-11
watch three to
four hours of TV
per day
 Development of Television Literacy
Ones ability to understand how information
is conveyed on TV
Prior to age 8 or 9, process content in a
piecemeal fashion
Difficulty understanding chain of events
Tend to focus on actions
Younger than age 7, difficulty with
fictional nature of TV
 Some Potentially Undesirable Effects of TV
Effects of Televised Violence
Majority of programs contain repeated
aggression and violence
Research suggests violent cartoons
causes increase in aggression among
peers
 Television as a Source of Social
Stereotypes
Gender stereotypes
Generally negative, can be a positive
influence if roles are reversed
 Television Viewing and Childrens Health
One of the strongest predictors of future
obesity is the amount of time spent
watching TV
Also promotes poor eating habits
Snacking during TV, eat what is
advertised
 Reducing the Harmful Effects of Television
Violence
Parents need to monitor childrens TV
viewing
Not only what to watch, but how to
interpret what they are watching
 Television as an Educational Tool
Educational Television and Childrens
Prosocial Behavior
Watching prosocial programming lead to more prosocial
behavior
Only lasting effects if adult monitors programs and
encourages actions
Television as a Contributor to Cognitive
Development
Limited research on very young children
Preschool children Sesame Street
Improved cognitive skills