Susan Lollis

A Social Relations Analysis of Toddler Peer Relationships.

We examined whether young children form different relationships with specific peers. Using the social relations model, effects of individuals as either actors or partners were distinguished from effects of relationships. Relationship effects are inferred when behavior within a dyad cannot be predicted from behavior that both partners give and receive in other social contexts. 32 20- or 30-month-old children were each paired with 2 partners (same age and gender) and observed for 18 40-min play sessions. The social relations analysis indicated that children differed consistently in their initiation of interaction (actor effects) and in the conflict contributions they elicited from their peers (partner effects). Relationship effects were found in games and contingent interaction, and were generally reciprocal. Relationship effects emerged gradually; in contrast, neither actor nor partner effects increased over time. Results were discussed in the context of definitions of relationships and peer relationships of young children.

Toddler—Peer Communication

Communication is the foundation of social interaction. People do not merely act synchronously or direct behavior to their social partners in some temporally organized manner; rather, they send and receive meaningful messages, interpret one another’s behavior, and react in appropriate ways. Furthermore, their communicative actions, gestures, and words reflect the assumptions that social partners can understand and may comply to requests contained within such overtures. In this chapter we consider the peer interaction of toddlers within a communicative framework.

How Adolescent Children of African Jamaican Immigrants Living in Canada Perceive and Negotiate their Roles within a Matrifocal Family

This research project examined the adolescent/young adult-parent relationships of African Jamaican immigrants currently living in Canada. Specifically, we focused on the transmission of cultural values and beliefs within these relationships and how the adolescents navigated and negotiated potential changes in these values because of their acculturative experiences. An examination of various mundane family/cultural practices provided insight into perceived transmission attempts by parents and the adolescent/young adult interpretation of these attempts. Twenty in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescent/young adult members of African Jamaican immigrant families living in Canada. Using Grounded Theory methodology (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), several themes emerged during the analysis of the interviews--the most significant being the issue of matrifocality within the African Jamaican family. Issues of respect and adolescent agency are also discussed as they related to the manner in which the adolescent/young adult attempted to negotiate various roles within the family.

Competing discourses within parent–adolescent conversations

This qualitative study utilized relational dialectics theory (Baxter, 2011) to examine competing discourses within parent–adolescent conversations about extracurricular activities during the transition to high school. The data for this study consisted of self-generated, self-directed conversations between 20 parent–adolescent dyads. Using content analysis, data were coded for the category of conversation topic and then the presence of Baxter’s (1988) three competing discourses within each category: autonomy–connection, openness–closedness, and certainty–uncertainty. Results suggest that the dyads spoke most about the transition to high school, extracurricular activities, peer relationships, and academics. Baxter’s (1990, 2011) three competing discourses were evident in parent–adolescent conversations with autonomy–connection being the most frequent competing discourse noted either alone or co-occurring with another competing discourse.

Sibling Socialisation of Moral Orientation: 'Share with me!' 'No, it's mine!'

Sibling socialisation of moral orientation was investigated in 40 dual-parent families with two children, aged 2 and 4 years. Of particular interest were: (a) the prevalence of use of care and justice moral orientations by the children during real-life dilemmas with siblings, (b) the ability of the children to combine both care and justice orientations in resolving the dilemmas, and (c) the presence of sex differences in the use of the two orientations. Data consisted of transcripts of sibling interactions during sibling property disputes. Childrens verbal statements to each other were coded for justice and care orientations. Siblings preferred the use of justice orientation when justifying the manner in which disputes should be resolved, a preference that increased with the age of the sibling. Care and justice were at times combined by individual children within disputes, again a finding that increased with the age of the sibling. No sex difference in the use of the two moral orientations was found; bot...