PSY 220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Social Comparison Theory, Learned Helplessness
Document Summary
During middle childhood, individuals seek activities they excel in. Social comparison: measuring own abilities against those of equal skill. Downward social comparison: comparing self to others who are obviously less competent. Becoming more differentiated during middle childhood; i"m good at math but bad at basketball". 1: 4-7 years old, based on shared behavior. 2: 8-10 years old, based on trust and loyalty. 3: 11-15 years old, based on psychological closeness/sharing personal information. Social competence: extraverted, funny, high emotional intelligence; present in popular children. Social problem solving: using strategies that are mutually beneficial. Boys who are more tough/aggressive/bold are more popular. Learned helplessness: repeated failure leads to quitting something. Children self-segregate by sex during middle childhood. Boys have large friend groups and clear dominance hierarchies (rankings that represent social power in a group) Girls have stronger connections to individual friends and treat each other as equal. Children increasingly self-segregate by race as they age.
