Toddlers’ sensitivity to social judgement
Written by Zach Hamzagic
You might be familiar with the following scenario: As a child, your parents pick you up from your friend’s house and ask your friend’s parents if you behaved. They can’t say enough about your good behaviour, “oh yes, she/he was an angel!” Your parents sarcastically reply, “I wish she/he was like that at home.” This example raises some interesting questions: Why do we act differently in front of others? And at what age does this type of behaviour develop?
Humans are social beings that are sensitive to what others think of them. Generally, we assume that others will judge our behaviour, and we want to make a good impression (Cooley, 2017; Goffman, 2021). So, we try to maintain positive social relationships and uphold social and moral norms. Yet, it is unknown how early in childhood social awareness and motivation emerge. Four-to-five-year-olds copy the opinion of the group even though they know it is wrong when in public but not in private, and are more generous and cheat less when being observed (Englemann et al., 2012; Haun & Tomasello, 2011; Piazza et al., 2011).
Even younger children are sensitive to social judgement. By seven-to-nine months of age, infants are already watching the emotional reactions of those around them to help them form opinions about new objects and situations (Campos & Steinberg, 1981; Striano & Rochat, 2000). By 18 months, infants will change their behaviour to avoid a bad reaction from others (Repacholi & Meltzoff, 2007). By 18 to 21 months, toddlers express embarrassment when noticing a mark on their face in a mirror, when asked to perform a dance in front of others, and when failing to achieve a goal (Amsterdam, 1972; Lewis et al., 1989; Stipek et al., 1992). Overall, by the age of 18 to 21 months, infants begin to act according to social norms and standards because they want to fit in and make a good impression (Kagan, 2013; Stipek et al., 1992).
In a recent study, Botto and Rochat (2018) ran four experiments to study whether toddlers aged 14 to 24 months showed this sensitivity to evaluation by others. The researchers used variations of a social scenario in which toddlers played with a toy robot that, when activated, the researcher either liked or disliked. Importantly, the researcher was either attentively watching the toddlers play with the robot, or inattentively facing away from the child while reading a magazine. Overall, the researchers found that toddlers changed their behaviour depending on the adult’s liking of the robot and attentiveness. For example, when toddlers saw that the adult did not like when the robot was activated, they were significantly more likely to activate the robot while the adult was inattentive compared to attentive. Conversely, when toddlers observed that the adult liked when the robot was activated, they were significantly more likely to activate the robot while the adult was attentive compared to inattentive. Therefore, toddlers as young as 14 months try to leave a good impression on others.
Sensitivity to what others think of us may indicate that we want to have good relationships with others and fit into society. Humans have three innate abilities that help us flourish as social beings. First, we can share experiences with others, and create a sense of we, as opposed to simply I. Second, we share experiences that allow us to feel part of a shared culture, where we have similar social norms and values. Third, we can change our behaviour to fit in better. Ultimately, these uniquely human abilities allow us to co-exist in large communities, experience culture, and ultimately develop a sense of what is right and wrong (see Tomasello, 2019). The reasons why we are sensitive to social judgement develop early in life. Overall, the results of this body of work demonstrate that before their second birthday, toddlers are sensitive to what others think of them, and can change their behaviour to fit into society.
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References
Amsterdam, B. (1972). Mirror self‐image reactions before age two. Developmental Psychobiology, 5(4), 297-305. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.420050403
Botto, S. V., & Rochat, P. (2018). Sensitivity to the evaluation of others emerges by 24 months. Developmental Psychology, 54(9), 1723-1734. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/dev0000548
Campos, J. J., & Steinberg, C. (1981). Perception, appraisal, and emotion: The onset of social referencing. In M. E. Lamb & L. R. Sherrod (Eds.), Infant social cognition (pp. 237–314). Erlbaum.
Cooley, C. H. (2017). Human nature and the social order. Routledge.
Engelmann, J. M., Herrmann, E., & Tomasello, M. (2012). Five-year olds, but not chimpanzees, attempt to manage their reputations. PLoS One, 7(10), e48433. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048433
Goffman, E. (2021). The presentation of self in everyday life. Anchor.
Haun, D. B., & Tomasello, M. (2011). Conformity to peer pressure in preschool children. Child Development, 82(6), 1759-1767. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01666.x
Kagan, J. (2013). The second year. In The Second Year. Harvard University Press.
Lewis, M., Sullivan, M. W., Stanger, C., & Weiss, M. (1989). Self development and self- conscious emotions. Child Development, 146-156. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131080
Piazza, J., Bering, J. M., & Ingram, G. (2011). “Princess Alice is watching you”: Children’s belief in an invisible person inhibits cheating. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 109(3), 311-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2011.02.003
Repacholi, B. M., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2007). Emotional eavesdropping: Infants selectively respond to indirect emotional signals. Child Development, 78(2), 503-521. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01012.x
Stipek, D., Recchia, S., McClintic, S., & Lewis, M. (1992). Self-evaluation in young children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, i-95. https://doi.org/10.2307/1166190
Striano, T., & Rochat, P. (2000). Emergence of selective social referencing in infancy. Infancy, 1(2), 253-264. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327078IN0102_7
Tomasello, M. (2019). Becoming human: A theory of ontogeny. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
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The blog posts are for informational and educational purposes only. The posts should not be considered as any type of advice (medical, mental health, legal, and/or religious advice). All blog posts have been researched, written, and edited by the undergraduate students and alumni of the Lifespan Cognition Lab. As a teaching and research-based lab, we encourage all lab members to help make knowledge more accessible to all communities through these posts.
