Socialization: Media and Peers

1. Socialization: Media and Peers Chapter 16

4. Media Ownership • 1945: 1% of homes • 1950: about 10% • 1955: about 60% • 1960: almost 90% • 1980: almost 98%; 52% more than one • Current numbers are slightly higher

5. Figure 16.1. Average number of hours per day that American children and adolescents spend watching television. FROM LIEBERT & SPRAFKIN, 1988.

6. Development of Television Literacy • Ability to understand • Prior to 8 or 9, process content in a piecemeal fashion • Explicit vs. implicit information • 2nd, 5th, and 8th graders were shown a film

7. In moderation, not likely to impair • Cognitive growth • Academic achievement • Peer relations

8. Televised Aggression • Possible effects: • direct imitation • general increase • desensitization

9. Methodological Problems • Experimentation • Ethics • Overexposure • Observation

10. Televised Violence • 58% of programs between 6 am and 11 pm contain violent scenes, often in the form of repeated aggressive acts against a victim that go unpunished • 73% of the violent scenes had a perpetrator who neither displayed remorse nor received any penalty or criticism • Most don’t show victims experiencing serious physical harm; few condemn violence or depict alternative ways of solving problems • Over 1/3 embedded in humor, rises to 2/3 for children’s shows • 9% above average in children’s programming

11. TV violence instigate aggression? • Positive correlation • Experimental results • Longitudinal studies

12. Research – Experimental • Bandura: Bobo doll studies • Reward or no consequence imitated a lot, those who saw punishment didn’t • Similar results with cartoons • Criticisms • Used doll instead of human victim • Didn’t use real TV shows

13. Research – Experimental • Liebert & Baron (1972) • 5-6, & 8-9 y/o watch 6 minutes of TV • experimental: • chase, 2 fist fights, 2 shootings, and a knifing • control: • sports program – track and field events • Box with red and green buttons • Choice of toy (violent, nonviolent)

14. Research – Observational • try to document relationship between naturally occurring TV viewing and naturally occurring violence • several studies have found a relationship between a preference for violent TV programs and the level of aggression

15. Other Effects of Televised Violence • Approval of Violence • Mean-world beliefs • Desensitization Hypothesis

16. Commercials • Desire for product • Request for advertised product • Consumption of advertised product

17. Social Stereotypes • Gender stereotypes • Generally negative, can be a positive influence if roles are reversed • Stereotyped views of minorities • Usually negative • However, if portrayals are positive, can reduce stereotyping

18. TV and Children’s 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

19. Beneficial Effects of TV • Educational Television and Children’s Prosocial Behavior • Watching prosocial programming lead to more prosocial behavior • Only lasting effects if adult monitors programs and encourages actions

20. Beneficial Effects of TV • Television as a Contributor to Cognitive Development • Limited research on very young children • Preschool children – Sesame Street • Improved cognitive skills • Numbers, letters, vocabulary, classification, ordering • Beneficial for all children, regardless of SES

21. Computers • 1996: over 98% American public schools used as instructional tools • 2003: over 60% American homes; over 50% homes with internet

22. Computers • Computer-assisted instruction – • Learn more, enjoy school more • Discovery programs presented as games are best • Word processing programs • Increases writing skills • Computer programming • Facilitates cognitive and metacognitive development

23. Computers • Concerns about Video Games • Moderate correlation between playing violent video games and real-world aggression • Actively involved in performing violence • Reinforced for successful symbolic violence • May be more serious than TV violence

24. Computers • Concerns about Social Inequalities • Economically disadvantaged families may not have a computer at home • Boys were more interested in computers • Gender gap has disappeared

25. Computers • Concerns about Internet Exposure • Web exposure helps with research for school topics • Chat rooms can lead to cybersexual relationships and potential exploitation • Web is a recruiting tool for cults and hate organizations

26. Figure 16.7 Developmental changes in children’s companionship with adults and other children. ADAPTED FROM ELLIS, ROGOFF, & CROMER, 1981.

27. Importance of Peers • Harlow • Anna Freud & Sophie Dann

28. Developmental Course of Peer Relationships • 0-2 months • 3-4 months • 6 months • 6-12 months • Second year • 2-5 years

29. Peers – Play • Sociability during the Preschool Period • Nonsocial activities • Onlooker play • Parallel play • Associative play • Cooperative play • Play also becomes more cognitively complex with age • Predicts future social competencies

30. Heather: My mother yelled at me. Let’s say you gave me a spanking, Kathy O’Neil • Kathy: No, my name is Annie • Heather: Let’s say you gave me a spanking. And I call you mom. • Andy: (talking on phone): Hi, Kathy… • Heather: No, her name is Annie

31. Boy playing father. Girl playing mother. • Boy: So long. I’ll see you later. It’s time to go to work. • Girl: Hey, wait for me! I gotta go to work too! • Boy: Hey, my mom don’t work…you stay here. • Girl: Well my mom works…lotsa womens works you know. My mom is a perfessor at the college. • Boy: O.k. then, just hurry so we won’t be late. Are you sure you wanna work?

32. Functions of play in early childhood • Play in individualistic societies teaches children to be individuals • Play in collectivistic societies teaches children to keep egos under control, promotes group harmony • Teaches effective communication • Provides chances for compromise • Allows for emotional understanding

33. 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

34. Friendships • Gottman – recorded conversations of friends • 3-7 • 8-12 • 13-17

35. Early adolescence • 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

36. Dunphy: observed adolescents • isolated unisexual cliques • unisexual cliques in group interaction • upper status members form heterosexual clique • Crowd • disintegration of crowd

37. Peer Acceptance and Popularity • Positive Nominations • Rating Scale • positive nominations – index of number of friends • rating scale – measure of overall acceptability, likeability

38. Peer Acceptance and Popularity • Popular • Rejected • Neglected • Controversial • Average-status

39. Why Are Children Accepted, Neglected, or Rejected by Peers? • Parenting styles - warm, sensitive and authoritative parenting results in likeable children • Temperamental characteristics - • Irritable, impulsive children may have negative reactions with peers, causing rejection

40. Cognitive Skills • Popular children have well-developed role-taking skills • Rejected children tend to score lowest on IQ tests • Social Behaviors • Popular children are warm, cooperative, and compassionate

41. Neglected children are often shy or withdrawn, but have good social skills • Worry about their social anxiety • Rejected-aggressive children • Alienate peers by forcefully dominating them • Overestimate popularity • Rejected-withdrawn children • Socially awkward, immature, react to criticism with aggression • Withdraw when they begin to be actively excluded

42. Differences Between Popular and Unpopular Children • Gottman: observed K-4 in four situations • Popular with popular • Unpopular with unpopular • what do children do when entering a group of children who are already playing together?

43. Teaching Social Skills • Asher: 3rd and 4th graders were given 6 sessions of coaching over a 4 week period • results: improved ratings on “play with” question at end of training and one year later • Hartup – 3 to 6 year olds