Effects of peer group rejection and a new group's norms on children's intergroup attitudes

Abstract

This study examined the effects of peer group rejection and a new group's norms on 7- and 9-year old children's intergroup attitudes. Children (N = 82) were rejected or accepted by an initial group, then accepted by a new group that had a norm of inclusion versus exclusion towards others. Results showed that rejected compared with accepted children had a more negative attitude towards the initial group, that they were equally positive towards their new group, but that the rejected children were more negative towards an outgroup. Results also revealed an age x target group x group norm effect that indicated that the younger children's attitudes towards the three groups were more negative in the exclusion versus acceptance norm condition. The older children were also more negative towards the initial and new groups in the exclusion condition, but their more positive attitudes towards the outgroup were unaffected by the group norms. The bases of the effects of peer group rejection and group norms are discussed.

An investigation of children’s peer trust across culture: Is the composition of peer trust universal?

“…In support of this proposition, Chen (2012) suggested that the culturally specific social processes children are exposed to shape the function and structure of the peer group that they belong to. Further, peer groups also develop normative expectations that govern their interactions (Galvan, Spatzier, & Juvonen, 2011;Kwon & Lease, 2009;Nesdale et al, 2009) and in collectivist cultures the importance of relying on the wider social network is taught from an early age (Rothbaum & Trommsdorff, 2007). Therefore, the present research systematically examined the phenomenon of children's trust in the UK, Italy, and Japan.…”

Group Influences on Individual Aggression and Prosociality: Early Adolescents Who Change Peer Affiliations

“…This process can be conceptualized as an attractinggroup influence in which individuals adapt their socio-behavioral profile in order to fit those characteristics observed in the group to which they affiliate, minimizing the influence of the departing group that is being left. Most research on childhood and early adolescent group influences has not considered mobility (a nice exception is Nesdale et al, 2009), thus considering only socialization effects from the perspective of a stable peer group. This study focuses on early adolescents who change their peer affiliations, testing the attracting influence that these new groups might exert on their individual behavior.…”

Young children's interpersonal trust consistency as a predictor of future school adjustment

“…Specifically, either displaying low trust beliefs and high levels of trustworthiness or high trust beliefs and low levels of trustworthiness would likely be regarded by other children as inconsistent with their expectations that high trustworthiness accompanies higher trust beliefs (Fusaro & Harris, 2008). Therefore, similar to other peer behaviours (Galvan, Spatzier, & Juvonen, 2011;Kwon & Lease, 2009;Nesdale et al, 2009;Nesdale & Dalton, 2011), peer groups may have embedded interpersonal trust consistency as a normative expectation. In support of this proposition, Rotenberg and Boulton (2012) reported that 9-to 11-year-olds with low interpersonal trust consistency, expressed as high trust beliefs in peers and low peer-reported trustworthiness, reported lower quality peer relationships.…”

“…As trust beliefs and trustworthiness tend to be associated in young children's knowledge acquisition (Fusaro & Harris, 2007;Harris, 2007), and because of the importance of normative Running head: YOUNG CHILDREN'S TRUST CONSISTENCY 8 expectations for children's social interactions (Galvan et al, 2011;Kwon & Lease, 2009;Nesdale et al, 2009;Nesdale & Dalton, 2011), we explored the statistical nature of the relationship between interpersonal trust consistency and school adjustment. Consequently, the present study used quadratic and linear regression as analytical techniques.…”