Category: Research project announcement

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Managing impressions: Children’s understanding of performance and dispositional disclaimers as self-presentational tactics.

Negotiating everyday social interactions requires a variety of social skills, such as the ability to reflect on the thoughts, feelings, and expectations of others. This research investigates developmental trends in children’s understanding of how disclaimers (a self-presentational tactic) can be used to manage the impressions others may have of the self. Anticipation of poor behaviour on an imminent task may result in the use of a disclaimer – verbal statement used to protect oneself from negative social evaluation by dissociating the poor behaviour from their identity.  Eleven-year-olds recognise the mitigating function of a disclaimer (e.g., to avoid punishment; Bennett, 1990), and are more positive about future behaviour performance when a disclaimer is used (Watling & Banerjee, under review). Yet, little is known about children’s understanding of the self-presentational function of disclaimers (i.e., to avoid today’s behaviour from influencing an audience’s beliefs about the individual). This research will explore how 8- to 14-year-olds understand disclaimers, including those that are related to their performance (ability) and to dispositions (personality).

Primary investigator: Dr. Dawn Watling

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Past research in our group has shown that 11-year-olds understand why someone would offer a disclaimer (verbal statement offered to explain why they may perform poorly in the future) before anticipated poor performance. This research will extend previous work by exploring how 8- to 14-year-olds understanding differs depending on if the person offering the disclaimer performs consistently with their expectations (i.e., poorly), or inconsistenly with their expectations (i.e., quite well). We will also be asking children about their friendships and how they think and feel in various social situations.

Our research team includes: Emma Harding, Alice Hill, Rebecca Griffin, Sylvia Michaeel, and Antonia Samanns

Supervisor: Dr Dawn Watling

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As part of her masters research project, Michelle Cruickshank will be exploring how far imagined contact with different ethnic groups can lead to changes in ethnic group attitudes and streotyping. We will also explore whether learning about other cultures by taking part in normal classroom activities (lessons) is enhanced by culture-specific physical activities such as learning a dance style from a different cultural group. Data collection is expected to begin in March 2011.

Researcher: Michelle Cruickshank

Supervisor: Patrick Leman

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We know that children understand that others make statements to manipulate what others think about them (make them think they are nice, smart, etc.). This study extends previous work with 5- to 11-year-olds, asking children to describe themselves for the experimenter. The children then will learn a new game, and will be told that they should describe themselves in a way to encourage someone from another school to choose them as a partner for the game. We wish to see if children will modify their self-descriptions depending on if they know their audience wants a partner who is nice or who will help them win, and at what age they will begin to change the way they describe themselves.

Research will be conducted by Philippa Day and is supervised by Dr. Dawn Watling

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As part of their final year project, a team of researchers are visiting a large number of schools in London and South-East England (and Athens!) to collect data about how ethnicity influences children’s friendship choices at different ages. A core aim of the study is to see how far stereotypes influence this process. Together the team has devised a “pen pal” task and is also interested in how other processes such as perceptions of discrimination, cognitive level, ethnic identification and self-esteem, and school background connect with friendship choices.

Our research team includes: Jo Begley, Jo Cox, Christina Loucas, Malak Ben-Hmeda, Ozzie Clarke-Binns, Beth Laughton, Ioli Pretenteri, Sophia Seltzer-Eade

Supervisor: Dr Patrick Leman