Social Perspective-taking Ability Research Articles

The differential effect of perspective-taking ability on profiles of cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes

The present study aims to provide a systematic understanding of how perspective-taking ability contributes to primary-school students’ cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes. The present study is frontline as we combined person-oriented (e.g., describing patterns of behaviours based on individual characteristics), process-oriented (e.g., examining factors affecting the quality of cooperative behaviours), and effect-oriented (e.g., examining the effect of cooperative learning on individual learning outcomes) analytical approaches within one research framework. In addition, we adhered to the multi-dimensional nature of perspective-taking ability and differentiated between social and cognitive perspective-taking ability while taking into account the contribution of perspective-taking ability at both the individual level and group level (i.e., heterogeneous and homogeneous perspective-taking ability groups) to cooperative behaviour profiles and learning outcomes of primary-school children. Based on transcribed episodes of interaction of 115 fifth-grade students, four different profiles of cooperative behaviours were discerned: captains, hard workers, switchers, and passive participants. We found that these profiles are related to perspective taking conceptualized at the group level, but not to individual-level perspective-taking ability. Profile membership, cognitive perspective-taking ability, and group-level perspective-taking ability could not predict students’ learning outcomes. Social perspective-taking ability and reading comprehension did positively predict learning outcomes. Our findings add to existing knowledge as they suggest that the influence of perspective-taking ability on cooperative behaviours and learning outcomes is susceptible to the conceptualization (i.e., cognitive vs. social) and measurement level (i.e., individual vs. group level) of perspective-taking ability.

The effects of age, gender, and gender role ideology on adolescents’ social perspective-taking ability and tendency in friendships

Social perspective taking (SPT; i.e., the social-cognitive process of inferring another person’s thoughts and feelings) is commonly thought to be essential for successful social relationships, yet the bulk of past work on the development of SPT does not consider youths’ tendency to engage in SPT in the context of their close relationships. The current study of adolescents (ages 12–17, N = 158) helps move the field forward by distinguishing between adolescents’ SPT ability (i.e., whether they are developmentally capable of SPT) and their tendency to apply this ability in their actual social relationships, namely, friendships, and considering the roles of gender and age. Results indicate that SPT ability and SPT tendency are distinct, suggesting that youths do not always put to use the SPT skills that they possess. Girls scored higher than boys on both SPT ability and SPT tendency. Boys and girls had significant gains in SPT ability across adolescence. Surprisingly, however, boys’ SPT tendency decreased from early to later adolescence, indicating that older boys tend to engage in less SPT in their friendships despite increasing ability to do so. This is worrisome given the importance of SPT in promoting high-quality relationships. Importantly, gender role ideology predicted this tendency in boys, such that boys with more stereotypical gender beliefs tended to engage in less SPT with their friends. Thus, the current findings point to the importance of going beyond mean-level gender differences to consider gendered beliefs and suggest that interventions aimed at promoting egalitarian views may help foster SPT and successful friendships among boys.

In-group bias in children's intention to help can be overpowered by inducing empathy.

An experimental vignette study was conducted among children (8-13years) to examine whether inducing empathic understanding is an effective intervention to overpower peer group boundaries in children's helping. Children were induced or not induced to empathize with the recipient of help, who was or was not part of their (imagined) group of friends. Results showed that children intended to help in-group peers more compared to outgroup peers when empathic understanding was not induced. However, when empathy was induced, they intended to help friends and non-friends equally. Inducing empathic understanding was effective independent of the recipient's level of need, and children's advanced social perspective-taking ability. Encouraging children to imagine how a recipient of help feels might thus be a useful strategy to prevent peer group-based biases in children's helping behaviour.

Sports and Character Development.

For more than a century, the contention that sport builds character has been popular among educators. The more cautious perspective of researchers is that sport might build character, but only under the right conditions. For example, while the limited research to date suggests that competitive team sports may encourage high social perspective-taking ability, it may also discourage the ability to feel or display empathy. If sports are to have a positive impact on the character development of participants, the leadership and behavior of the coach is key. In this article, the authors report on three aspects of character that may be influenced by sport participation: perspective-taking and empathy; moral reasoning; and motivational orientation. The authors provide research-based recommendations for coaches and others in sport leadership positions. The complete article appears in the March 2006 issue of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Research Digest. The Research Digest is published four times a year and includes manuscripts related to physical activity and health. Articles are available free through the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports at http://www.fitness.gov/pcpfs_research_digs.htm

Parental and Peer Contributions to the Emotional Support Skills of the Child: From Whom Do Children Learn to Express Support?

With advancing age, children increasingly turn to peers for emotional support, and the child's ability to provide sensitive emotional support to peers becomes an increasingly important predictor of social acceptance. Although individual differences in emotional support skills become evident in early childhood, little is known about the social experiences that lead some children to become more skillful providers of emotional support than others. This study assessed the influence of two socialization agents, parents and peers, on individual differences in children's emotional support skills. Participants included 51 first- and third-grade children, their mothers, and their classmates. Assessments obtained from each child of three skills related to the provision of emotional support included the following: comforting skill, affective perspective-taking ability, and social perspective-taking ability. Measures of comforting skill were obtained from both the child's mother and three classmates with whom each child frequently interacted. Correlational and regression analyses indicate that the comforting skills of mothers and peers independently contribute to the child's capacity to produce sensitive comforting messages. In addition, peers' comforting skills were significant predictors of the child's affective perspective-taking ability. The results indicate different theoretical mechanisms may link the behavior of parents and peers to the social competencies of the child.

Role of Perspective-Taking Abilities and Ethnic Socialization in Development of Adolescent Ethnic Identity

In this article, we report on an investigation of a recently proposed construct of ethnic perspective-taking ability (EPTA). It was hypothesized that: (a) EPTA would be related to ethnic identity, social perspective-taking ability (SPTA), and ethnic socialization; and (b) there would be distinctiveness in EPTA relative to SPTA. Mexican American high school students (N = 43) were administered in-depth EPTA and SPTA interviews and questionnaire measures of ethnic identity. Parents of the adolescents were administered an ethnic socialization questionnaire. Results provided support for the potential usefulness of EPTA because it was significantly associated with SPTA, even after variance associated with developmental level was controlled, and there was variance in ethnic identity predicted by EPTA that was not also predicted by either SPTA or the ethnic socialization variable. Contrary to expectation, EPTA was not significantly associated with ethnic socialization. However, parental ethnic socialization was s...

Social Perspective Taking and Use of Discounting in Children's Perceptions of Others' Helping Behavior

The authors investigated the relationship between children's ability to take the social perspective of another and their use of the causal attribution principle known as discounting in assessing others' kindness in helping. The participants (N = 153), 7 to 16 years old, were interviewed in a township bordering Johannesburg. Each participant was administered 2 perspective-taking tasks and a series of vignettes, based on prosocial versus self-interested motives, assessing perceptions of kindness in helping. A significant relationship was established at p < .01 between social perspective-taking ability and use of discounting, such that participants at higher perspective-taking levels judged helpful behavior as significantly less kind than did their peers when the behavior was motivated by self-interest. This finding is interpreted in terms of literature suggesting that advances in perspective taking facilitate the recognition of the manipulative function of externally offered incentives. Observations are made regarding the cross-cultural investigation of these variables.

A Longitudinal Examination of the Social-Cognitive Foundations of Adolescent Egocentrism

The theoretical foundations of the imaginary audience (IA) and personal fable (PF) have been debated for years. Two studies were conducted to (a) replicate previous support for an alternative model linking the constructs to Level 3 social perspective-taking ability and (b) follow the constructs longitudinally. Data from 96 middle school students replicated previous findings: Level 3 social perspective-taking ability was associated with heightened PF and not IA. However, a Grade x Social Perspective-taking interaction indicated that elevated PF was related to Level 3 for sixth grade students only; a grade-related decrease in PF occurred among Level 3 students. Thirty-nine participants were retested a year later; those results verified the grade-related decline in PF seen in Study 1. Elevated PF was a function of social cognition and some sort of social experience (e.g., the experience of a school transition); Level 4 ability did not appear to be necessary for decreased sensitivity..

A model of ethnic perspective-taking ability applied to Mexican-American children and youth

A model is presented that characterizes a development of ethnic perspective-taking ability from preschool to early adulthood. This model was constructed from a model of social perspective-taking ability, previous research, and 97 interviews with Mexican-American children and youth aged 6 to 18 years. The proposed model is one of the first to integrate research on ethnic cognition in early childhood with research on racial/ethnic identity development during late adolescence and early adulthood. Five levels of ethnic perspective-taking ability applied to Mexican-American children are presented ranging from a physicaiistic perspective of ethnicity to a multicultural perspective of ethnicity.

The predictive validity of cognitive complexity measures on social perspective-taking and counseling communication

Abstract We compared the predictive validity of two cognitive complexity measures on two communication-relevant abilities: social perspective-taking and person-centered counseling. Forty-six undergraduates completed versions of Crockett's Role Category Questionnaire and Bieri et al.'s repertory grid task to measure cognitive complexity. Measures of social perspective-taking ability and person-centered counseling messages were also obtained from the subjects. Whereas Crockett's complexity measure was significantly and consistently related to the communication-related measures, Bieri's complexity measure was only marginally related to these same measures.

The Effects of Training in Social Perspective Taking on Socially Maladjusted Girls

A paucity of research exists concerning training programs for the development of interpersonal functioning in socially maladjusted or delinquent adolescent females. Females in a residential institution participated in a role-play program designed to enhance social perspective-taking ability. In 15 sessions girls were coached in specific social skills and acted multiple role perspectives in typical problem situations. Compared to girls in a fitness training program, girls in the role-play training program showed enhanced performance on a measure of social perspective taking. Generalized effects were also found for performance on tests of interpersonal problem analysis, empathy, and the acceptance of individual differences. Additionally, observational data indicated that role-play training resulted in increased prosocial behaviors. Role-play training had no effect on a measure of referential communication.