Introduction to the special section on social norms and behavioral development

Abstract

This introduction outlines the goals for the special section on social norms and behavioral development. The study of social norms has attracted much interest in peer relations research, and has turned attention to group-level processes, often defined based on the classroom, which create and sustain shared meanings that impact adolescent behavioral and social adjustment. Norms can be differentiated in three ways. First, prescriptive or injunctive norms can be distinguished from descriptive norms. Second, a distinction can be made between what is salient for all classmates or for a subgroup of norm setters, in particular popular peers. Third, social norms can be distinguished from perceived norms. The contributions to this special section invite debate on the future of research on norms, and suggest numerous avenues for further research, with hopes that an understanding of how social norms affect social development will better inform peer relations research as well as norm-based interventions.

Direct Assessments of Social Skills Can Complement Teacher Ratings in Predicting Children’s Academic Achievement

“…We also included a measure of children's reproduction of an adult's demonstration (Kenward et al, 2011;Keupp et al, 2013) because learning from this kind of observation is critical in both formal and informal contexts (e.g., imitating, following directions; Bjorklund, 2022;Legare & Nielsen, 2015). We further included a task of children's evaluation of groups conformity (Roberts et al, 2017) because performing well in a classroom setting often involves behaving as others are behaving (e.g., learning group norms; see Veenstra, 2022). Finally, we included a measure of children's trust in testimony (VanderBorght & Jaswal, 2009), as a key component of learning new information is discerning which informants are most knowledgeable in particular domains (see Harris, 2012 andLutz &Keil, 2002 for discussions).…”

Children consider “who” and “what” when reasoning about rule changes: A comparative study of children from two cultures

“…Rules and norms are pivotal in guiding social interactions. The acquisition of norms and rules begins early in development (e.g., Rakoczy & Schmidt, 2013) and significantly influences children's social engagement (Veenstra, 2022). While individuals may choose to follow or violate existing rules (e.g., van Kleef et al, 2015), they may also engage in changing them as needed, such as updating laws, policies, and scientific regulations (Andrews, 2013;Bicchieri, 2016;Servent & Tacea, 2021).…”