Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Development of Self and Social Understanding Chapter 12

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Chapter Outline Sense of self Social cognition

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Sense of Self Who am I? self-concept How good am I as a person? self-perceptions self-esteem self-worth

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Sense of Self Helps children organize things that happen to them Motivates behavior Influences reactions to events Helps them envision future selves Helps them make choices to reach goals Children focus more on what they do well Children behave in ways that mirror self-perception sometimes engage in self-handicapping

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Factors Influencing Sense of Self Past behaviors and performance Others’ perceptions successes and failures (parents) social competence and physical abilities (peers) Group membership and success

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 Sense of Self: General Trends Children construct increasingly multifaceted understandings of who they are Feelings of self-worth increasingly depend on peers’ behaviors and opinions Children gradually internalize criteria others use for evaluation Children gradually integrate many self-perceptions into general abstractions of who they are Sense of worth becomes more stable over time

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Development of Sense of Self Infancy self as distinct, lovable being ability to imitate others recognizing self in mirror Early childhood autobiographical self (personal history) language reflects self: I, me, mine self = physical characteristics, simple psychological traits overconfidence, high self-esteem

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Development of Sense of Self Middle childhood self described in physical and psychological terms aware of strengths and weaknesses positive self-esteem Early adolescence can reflect on how they are perceived by others imaginary audience belief in personal fable self-esteem drops (especially girls)

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Development of Sense of Self Late adolescence multiple & contradictory self-perceptions identity development identity diffusion foreclosure moratorium identity achievement

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Gender Differences Both nature and nurture contribute Boys overestimate, girls underestimate abilities Girls have greater difficulty accepting criticism Girls more critical of physical appearance Boys say they are good at athletics problem-solving math and science Girls say they are good at manners social relationships reading and writing

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Cultural & Ethnic Differences “Self” in individualist vs collectivist cultures Development of ethnic identity cultural pride discrimination & bias Spencer’s model of support and challenge

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Enhancing Sense of Self Communicate interest in children’s lives and well being Promote academic, social, and physical successes Focus children’s attention on self-improvement Be honest about shortcomings but also provide guidance & support Provide opportunities for exploration Consider unique needs of girls and boys Communicate respect for ethnic & cultural backgrounds Offer many chances to develop healthy self-perceptions Put self-esteem in proper perspective

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Social Cognition Understanding others’ thoughts, feelings, behaviors theory of mind social perspective-taking

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Development of Social Cognition Infancy intersubjectivity intentionality social referencing Early childhood language reflects own desires, emotions, thoughts, and beliefs understanding that others have desires, emotions beliefs can be different, can be wrong

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Development of Social Cognition Middle childhood people interpret events people can mask true feelings, thoughts thoughts and feelings are interrelated Early adolescence people can have mixed feelings and motives recursive thinking Late adolescence “budding psychologist”

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Social-Cognitive Bias & Prejudice Preschoolers categorize people into groups favor own group Grade-schoolers more inclusive Some adolescents show increase in prejudice likely environmentally influenced

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Diversity in Social Cognition Culture and ethnicity influences grouping of people influences explanations for behavior Children with special needs Autism spectrum disorders

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18 Fostering Development of Social Cognition Talk about psychological phenomena and other people’s perspectives in age-appropriate ways Encourage thinking about others’ perspectives Help children identify nonverbal cues Intervene with children who face substantial delays Work to break down stereotypes and prejudice

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19 Take-Home Messages Sense of self includes self-concept and feelings about value and worth based on prior successes and failures Social cognition understanding that people have thoughts, feelings, and motives that can be complex and contradictory sometimes leads to stereotyping