The Development of Social Behavior

The modern interest in child development has given rise to much research on social behavior. The results of typical studies are summarized under four main heads: 1. Social organization.-There is gradual progress from the solitary and parallel play of the infant through the co-operative play of the child to the organized and differentiated social life of the adolescent. 2. Social attachments.-As age increases, the selective character of children's attachments becomes more pronounced. Selection is made in terms of the child's own psychophysical makeup and his interests. 3. Motivation within the group.-The effectiveness of the group in motivating itsmembers increases with age. Competitive and co-operative tendencies develop together and perhaps reflect the complexity of the cultural pattern. 4. Differentiation of function within the group.-Differences in personality and social techniques are present from the early ages and are revealed in dominance and submission and in leadership and following behavior. Individuals receive differential practice in social techniques. Recent studies suggest an interesting relation between these techniques and the background of home training. The factors conditioning social behavior are found in: the example set by eldersand contemporaries; social learning, which selects from a base of fluid relationships certain patterns for fixation and permanence and in which the direct observation of the effects of the various techniques is a very significant factor; the quantity of social experience the environment permits; the availability of equipment that facilitates social relations; and the amount of participation in social activities outside the schoolroom. Recent studies suggest that under experimental conditions social behavior can be greatly modified and offer a fruitful line of inquiry. Social relations are coming under the purview of the scientist, who regards them as dynamic interplays in a field of forces which he seeks to describe and quantify

Developmental psychology · Dominance (genetics) · Personality · Political science · Set (abstract data type) · Social change · Social environment · Social group · Social relation · Social science · Sociology · Psychology · Psychology of Development and Education · Scientific Research and Philosophical Inquiry · Social Psychology

• Bibliographies in child development

  Florence L Goodenough•Psychological Bulletin•1944

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• Freedom and constraint or potentiality and environment

  John E Anderson•Psychological Bulletin•1944

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• Continuities and Changes in the Study of Friendship and Peer Groups during Early Adolescence

  Open Access•Felicisima C Serafica, Dale A Blyth•The Journal of Early Adolescence•1985

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