An Observational Study of Social Comparison in Preschoolers

Mosatche, Harriet S.; Bragonier, Penelope

doi:10.2307/1129256

Cited by 58 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…As predicted, girls interacting with girls spoke more often than boys interacting with boys about similarity between self and other, a gender difference that proved to be driven primarily by African American girls. Previous studies of naturally occurring social comparisons (Chafel, 1986;Frey & Ruble, 1985;Mosatche & Bragioner, 1981) have not uncovered gender differences, although Mosatche and Bragonier (1981) and Frey and Ruble did not distinguish between highlighting similarities and highlighting differences. The use of social comparison, especially by girls and especially by African American girls, to find common ground and solidify relationships warrants further attention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The majority of these comments were made when two children were engaged in associative or cooperative play (53.8%) or were simply conversing (21.2%). Because of our interest in multiple features of children's comments, and following the example of Mosatche and Bragonier (1981), we configured the data set such that the comment rather than the child served as the unit of analysis. Contingency tables analyses were used to compare the percentages of statements of each focus, type, and valence through four planned contrasts: gender differences in same-gender contexts (BB vs. GG), gender differences in mixed-gender contexts (BG vs. GB), context effects on boys (BB vs. BG), and context effects on girls (GG vs. GB).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The focus and type of each comment were coded into categories developed primarily on the basis of an observation system devised by Mosatche and Bragonier (1981), as well as on other earlier studies of social comparison among young "I want to be your friend," "You were afraid and I wasn't," "I like you"…”

Section: Observational Procedures and Coding Categoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was based primarily on Mosatche and Bragonier's (1981) system but with a number of changes. Most notably, we focused on statements about self or other rather than restricting the focus to social comparisons, added content categories for appearance and conduct, broadened an attitude category to include comments about a variety of personal-social traits, differentiated between difference and similarity finding (as did Chafel, 1986), and added comment types for description, instruction, and norm enforcement.…”

Section: Conductmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, rather than examining the gender-typed behaviors that have been the focus of many prior studies of gender differences, we observed preschool children's commentary about self and other. The previous research that influenced us most looked specifically at social comparison (Chafel, 1986;Frey & Ruble, 1985; and especially Mosatche & Bragonier, 1981). However, being interested in social cognition more generally, we looked at all statements reflecting self-conceptions and person perceptions, whether comparative or not.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Gender Differences in Preschool Children's Commentary on Self and Other

Sigelman

Holtz

2013

The Journal of Genetic Psychology

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To examine gender differences in commentary about self and others in same- and mixed-gender contexts, the authors analyzed dyadic conversations involving 78 children in 5 preschool facilities. Compared to girls talking to girls, boy talking to boys made more statements with negative connotations for others and less often pointed out self-other similarities. No gender differences were observed in mixed-gender contexts. Compared to boys talking with boys, boys talking with girls spoke more frequently of similarities and abilities. Compared to girls with girls, girls with boys less often spoke descriptively or talked of activities and possessions and more often spoke of conduct, possibly in an effort to manage boys' behavior. Overall, the findings support a social-constructivist or contextual rather than a biological perspective on early gender differences.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Observational Procedures and Coding Categoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conductmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender Differences in Preschool Children's Commentary on Self and Other

Sigelman

Holtz

2013

The Journal of Genetic Psychology

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Cooperation and Competition

Fülöp¹

2022

The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development

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Self in relation to other: Preschoolers' verbal social comparisons within narrative discourse

Mintz

1995

New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development

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Many theories of the ontogeny of selfhood share the assumption that our concepts of who we are as individuals develop in the context of social relationships. Despite a rich tradition of thought that highlights the self as a relational entity, research in child development has historically reflected a highly individualistic notion of the child's emerging understanding of self. More recently, the theoretical concern with the socially embedded nature of self has generated several methodological innovations aimed at capturing development in interpersonal contexts. The field of social cognition reflects this emphasis on relationality and has extended its focus beyond the individual child to encompass the social interactions in which notions of self and other develop (Damon and Hart, 1988; Dunn, 1988;and Stem, 1985). Despite the current interest in the relationship between self and social understanding, most empirical investigations of this process continue to treat these ideas as separate conceptual systems from a developmental standpoint.The notion that language provides a link between individual minds and social contexts has gained considerable prominence in developmental studies within the last decade. Stern (1985) has claimed that language generates an "intersubjective" understanding of self, and he offers "a new way of being related to others (who may be present or absent) by sharing personal world knowledge with them, coming together in the domain of verbal relatedness" (p. 173). Language permits the young child a means to reflect on, represent, and communicate about herself to other people. It offers a new interactional context within which the child can experience herself and participate in her NEW DIRECIIONS FOR CHILD DRmOPhlP3T. no. 69, Fall 1995 0 JOSXy-BSS Publbhen 61 62 YOUNG CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS OF SELF AND OTHER

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An Observational Study of Social Comparison in Preschoolers

Cited by 58 publications

References 7 publications

Gender Differences in Preschool Children's Commentary on Self and Other

Gender Differences in Preschool Children's Commentary on Self and Other

Cooperation and Competition

Self in relation to other: Preschoolers' verbal social comparisons within narrative discourse

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