Deck 14: C: Social Influences

Question 1

Your friend Brad is concerned about his 12-month-old son Phillip's social development. Brad has noticed that Phillip will sit next to another child his own age and each of them will do his own puzzle rather than cooperating on one puzzle together. Occasionally, they will look at each other, smile, and say a word or two. Brad feels that Phillip should be interacting more with his peers. What can you tell Brad about the development of play in toddlers and preschoolers that will alleviate his concerns?

Answer 1

A good answer will be similar to the following:
First, Brad should know that Phillip is engaging in parallel play. This type of play is quite common in 12- and 15-month-old children. In parallel play, social interactions are as basic as one child smiling and talking with the other child responding. Around 15 to 18 months, children's social interactions become truly interactive when associative play appears. It isn't until around the second birthday that cooperative play, such as building a tower together with blocks, begins to appear. Throughout the preschool years, parallel play becomes less common and cooperative play becomes more common. So, Brad shouldn't expect to see cooperative play in Phillip for at least another year.

Question 2

Senator Carver thinks that research on popularity and rejection is a waste of time because children's popularity (or lack of it) has nothing to do with their later development. What can you tell the senator about the long-term effects of popularity and rejection on later development?

Answer 2

A good answer will be similar to the following:
Senator Carver should know that in the long run the lack of research on and intervention with rejected children will cost society more. First, rejected children are more likely to drop out of school than their more popular peers. These dropouts are less likely to be productive members of society and are more likely to collect unemployment. Second, rejected children are more likely to commit juvenile offenses and have criminal records thus costing society the expenses associated with the legal system. Third, rejected children are more likely to suffer from psychopathology. However, rejected children can be helped. Studies have shown that they can be taught how to initiate interactions appropriately, how to communicate clearly, how to act friendly, and how to avoid behaviours that others dislike. Rejected children who learn these skills are more likely to be accepted by peers and avoid the long-term negative effects associated with rejection.

Question 3

Your brother is worried because his four-year-old son has an imaginary playmate. What can you tell him about how common or uncommon imaginary playmates are during the preschool years and what is known about children who have imaginary playmates?

Answer 3

A good answer will be similar to the following:
Your brother needn't worry about the fact that his son has an imaginary playmate. They are quite common during the preschool years. Moreover, having an imaginary playmate is associated with many positive characteristics. Children who have imaginary playmates tend to be more sociable and have more real friends than children who do not have imaginary playmates. So, your brother should enjoy his son's vivid imagination and realize that an imaginary friend at this age is perfectly normal.

Question 4

At a recent parent council meeting at your daughter's high school, a group of parents proposed that the school store should sell low-priced condoms to slow down the increasing number of teenage pregnancies in the school. These parents suggested that many students do not use contraceptives because they are too expensive or they don't know how to obtain them. These parents also said that parents can't stop teens from having sex so the teens might as well have contraceptives readily available to them. What can you tell the parent council about programs that are effective in delaying sexual intercourse and increasing the use of contraceptives by teens?

Question 5

Describe the characteristics typically associated with (1) popular children and (2) rejected children.

Question 6

Name and describe the characteristics typically associated with successful teachers

Question 7

Your friend Enrique has a co-worker that he thinks is gay. Enrique said that he thought that his co-worker was gay because the co-worker's mother must have been domineering, and his co-worker could become heterosexual if he really wanted. What can you tell Enrique about the myths surrounding the causes of homosexuality and the role of biology in determining sexual orientation?

Question 8

Meg worries that her children are overscheduled. What can you tell Meg about teenagers and after-school activities?

Question 9

Name the characteristics typically associated with successful schools.