Self-relevance and goal-directed processing in the recall and weighting of information about others

Carpenter, Sandra

doi:10.1016/0022-1031(88)90023-6

Cited by 52 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…More broadly, the present results build upon prior research demonstrating that children's interpretation of social behavior is driven by salient cognitive constructs, such as person schemas [Carpenter, 1988;Catrambone and Markus, 1987;Dodge and Tomlin, 1987;Markus, 1983;Piaget, 1954;Zelli et al, 1996] that serve to regulate and influence social action. By invoking a generalized notion of the salient characteristics of the individual engaging in a behavior, an observer can make a broad range of inferences and generate action plans [Dodge, 1986;Jones andMcGillis, 1976, Shaver, 1985].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Preschoolers use trait-relevant information to evaluate the appropriateness of an aggressive response

Giles

Heyman

2005

Aggr. Behav.

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The tendency for 3-to 5-year-old children to use trait-relevant information about other people when evaluating aggressive responses to ambiguous behavior was examined across two studies (N = 81). Children were more likely to endorse the use of aggression against a "mean" versus a "nice" story character. Additionally, they were more likely to endorse the use of aggression against a story character who feels happy rather than sad when bad things happen to other kids. These findings suggest that, as early as preschool, trait-relevant information about other people can serve as a tool with which children evaluate the appropriateness of aggression in response to ambiguous behavior. Moreover, these findings provide evidence that even before the onset of formal schooling, trait and mental state information can influence social judgments.Keywords trait reasoning; social cognition; aggression; preschool; person perception Violence is a critical public health problem, one with great personal, social and economic costs [Cohen and Swift, 1993;Fontanarosa, 1995;Rosenberg et al., 1992]. It is becoming increasingly clear that violent behavior in adulthood has antecedents that are often evident early in development [see Coie and Dodge, 1998;Huesmann et al., 1984;Olweus, 1979]. There is a critical need to develop programs that successfully prevent violence, so a major goal of research on aggression is to determine the factors that are predictive of, and contribute to, aggressive behavior across development. Sociocognitive approaches to the study of childhood aggression have emphasized the important role that children's patterns of thinking play in supporting and maintaining aggressive behaviors [e.g., Huesmann and Guerra, 1997].One aspect of children's social cognition that has been of interest to researchers attempting to understand aggression in childhood is the extent to which children endorse, or approve of, the use of aggression as a means of responding to the provocations of others [Coie and Dodge, 1998;Giles and Heyman, 2003;Huesmann and Guerra, 1997;Henry et al., 2000; see also Erdley and Asher, 1998]. The tendency to endorse aggression has been linked to several negative behavioral outcomes, including increased levels of aggressiveness [Erdley and Asher, 1998;Huesmann and Guerra, 1997;Guerra and Slaby, 1989;Gouze, 1987], deficits in prosocial behavior [Erdley and Asher, 1998] 1985;Perry et al., 1986]. For example, Erdley and Asher [1998] found that fourth and fifth graders who believed strongly in the legitimacy of aggression as a means of solving problems were more aggressive and less prosocial than their peers.In addition to this evidence of individual differences, there is evidence that children tend to hold beliefs about aggression that are differentiated based on contextual factors, such as information about social actors [Dodge et al., 1984;Olthof et al., 1989, see also Giles and Heyman, in press]. For example, there is evidence that children's endorsement of aggression is affected by information about me...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Preschoolers use trait-relevant information to evaluate the appropriateness of an aggressive response

Giles

Heyman

2005

Aggr. Behav.

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“…Individuals with self-schemas in a particular domain use them to make quick and confident judgments in that domain, adapt flexibly to different information-processing goals related to the domain, and accurately retrieve information relevant to the domain (e.g., S.L. Carpenter, 1988;Kanagawa, Cross, & Markus, 2001;Markus, 1977Markus, , 1980. People are chronically sensitive to schemarelevant stimuli and pay close attention to information pertinent to the schema's domain (Markus & Sentis, 1982).…”

Section: Sdtmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Attachment Paradox

Ein‐Dor

Mikulincer

Doron

et al. 2010

Perspect Psychol Sci

168

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Bowlby's (1969/1982) attachment theory has generated an enormous body of research and conceptual elaborations. Although attachment theory and research propose that attachment security provides a person with many adaptive advantages during all phases of the life cycle, numerous studies indicate that almost half of the human species can be classified as insecurely attached or insecure with respect to attachment. It seems odd that evolution left humans in this vulnerable position unless there are some advantages, under at least some conditions, to anxious and avoidant attachment styles. We argue that a social group containing members with different attachment patterns may be more conducive to survival than a homogeneous group of securely attached individuals. In making this argument, we extend the scope of attachment theory and research by considering a broader range of adaptive functions of insecure attachment strategies. We also present preliminary data to support our argument.

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“…For example, in sociometric studies, young children have been proven reliable informants regarding the extent to which particular peers display externalizing and internalizing behaviours (see Merrell, 1999). Since children's interpretation of social behaviour is thought to be driven by salient cognitive constructs such as person schemas (Carpenter, 1988;Catrambone and Markus, 1987;Dodge and Tomlin, 1987;Markus, 1983;Piaget, 1954;Zelli et al, 1996), it is reasonable to assume that children's performance on sociometric tasks is influenced by their conceptions of internalizing and externalizing behaviour.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Conceptions of aggression and withdrawal in early childhood

Giles

Heyman

2004

Infant and Child Development

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Two studies investigate young children's beliefs about aggression and withdrawal in others with reference to the possibility of stability and change. Study 1 (N ¼ 41) provides evidence that preschool children (1) view aggression in more essentialist ways (i.e. they believe it to be more stable and less changeable) than withdrawal and (2) believe that friends hold a greater potential to create change in aggression and withdrawal than do other potential sources of influence, such as parents and teachers. Study 2 (N ¼ 25) replicates the findings of Study 1 and also demonstrates that by preschool age, children hold systematic ideas about the effectiveness of strategies that friends can use to change the behaviour of their peers. These ideas include the belief that prosocial strategies, such as showing peers how to make friends, are more effective than requests to stop engaging in undesirable behaviour. Study 2 also demonstrates that preschoolaged participants engaged in essentialist reasoning to a greater extent than did a comparison group of 20 7-8 year olds. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Self-relevance and goal-directed processing in the recall and weighting of information about others

Cited by 52 publications

References 27 publications

Preschoolers use trait-relevant information to evaluate the appropriateness of an aggressive response

Preschoolers use trait-relevant information to evaluate the appropriateness of an aggressive response

The Attachment Paradox

Conceptions of aggression and withdrawal in early childhood

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