Dr. Elizabeth Kim: Preschoolers’ conformity to peers’ moral, social, and health behaviors

Dr. Elizabeth Kim: To conform or not to conform? That is the question. Preschoolers' conformity to peers' moral, social, and health behaviors

To conform or not to conform? That is the question. Preschoolers’ conformity to peers’ moral, social, and health behaviors

Date        HKT  18 October 2024 (Friday)

Time        HKT  16:00 pm – 17:00 pm

Venue      AAB 823, HKBU

Abstract:

Young children’s independent or conformist behaviors in a group setting reveal much about how children discriminate trust in others. If we have been encoded this sensitivity to agree or disagree with the group majority at an early age, to what function does it serve us? How important are peers, adults, and culture in helping us determine who to trust when making a decision? In this talk, the speaker will review studies that explore how preschoolers conform in different scenarios and the role of peers in facilitating their development. The speaker will cover the diverse methods (modified classic social psychology paradigms, cross-cultural methods, computer-simulation games, etc.) used to explore conformity in early childhood. Research findings suggest that peers (even ones that are not present) can change initial judgments and behavior across different domains of learning. Furthermore, parenting, age, and BMI were found to be associated with some measures of conformity rates, suggesting that socialization and some inherent traits were likely to be related to peer influence. The speaker’s current research explores how to improve prosocial skills in preschoolers using social-modeling intervention training as well as how to enhance children’s engagement and well-being through creative spaces.