Candice Feiring

Social Networks and Gender Differences in the Life Space of Opportunity: Introduction.

Two basic concepts underlie the articles in this special issue- gender and the social network. The social network construct has been discussed extensively and several definitions of social networks exist (Bott, 1971; Cochran & Brassard, 1979; Leinhart, 1977; Lewis & Feiring, 1978). One aspect common to all definitions is the reference to the linkages between social units, both persons and groups, with which an individual has contact. The social network framework conceptualizes social relations, social opportunities, and social constraints by providing a schematic representation of how significant others and less central social contacts can be characterized, are organized, and can be interrelated. At any given point of an individuals life, a description of the persons network may be viewed as an index of the persons social world or life space. This includes descriptions of people in the network and the types of activities in which they are engaged. The infant is born into a social network, the most immediate and important of which is the family. Initially, through its parents and later on its own initiative as well, the childs network will in

The Diverse Profile of the Extremely Gifted Child.

Profiles of extremely gifted children under the age of four are presented. Examples of the multiple factors beyond IQ that have impact on the young gifted childs skill performance and adaptation are highlighted. Examination of the cognitive, social and emotional profiles of these extremely gifted children suggest that no singular pattern characterizes their functioning.

The Social Network of the Young Child

Imagine that one could invisibly watch a washday in a typical middle-class American home and watch a washday in a pretechnological Indian society in the Amazon basin.

Changing Characteristics of the U.S. Family

From the moment of birth the child is embedded in a large social network, the fabric of which is made up of many people, functions, and situations (Lewis & Feiring, 1978, 1979). This network includes, among others, parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, and peers. For the purposes of the present discussion, we shall focus on that part of the social network known as the family and will concentrate on the changing demographic characteristics of the family in the United States and the implications that these changing family characteristics have for the development of the child.

Indirect and Direct Effects and Family Interaction

In this chapter we consider the issue of social referencing from the broader perspective of social influences in general and direct and indirect effects in particular. First, we consider the question of why indirect effects should be studied, focusing on the inherent problems in the study of social influences. Direct and indirect effects are defined in the next section. Then, the relationship between indirect effects and social referencing is discussed. Following this, the model of direct and indirect effects and a review of the relevant literature is presented. Our work on the family at dinner is presented in order to demonstrate how indirect effects operate within the dinner context. Discussion of these data as they pertain to our focus ends the chapter.