Am I what others say I am? Perception of peer evaluation, self-concept and social competence

• Grant number: 11/22961-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Human Development Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Débora de Hollanda Souza
• Grantee: Lívia Andrade Benatti
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research field on social cognition has shown great progress in recent years, however, few studies have explored the relation between social cognition and personality development. An important aspect of personality that seems to be directly related to social cognition is self-concept, in particular, because the former is conventionally associated with one's perception of other people's cognition, including others' thoughts of himself. At the same time, several studies have shown that individuals with more elaborate social cognition become more competent socially . The present project aims, therefore, to explore the relation between the perception of peer evaluation (how do my peers see me?), social competence and self-concept. Forty-eight 9- and 10-year-old girls will participate in this study and will be administered a self-concept scale (EAC-IJ) and a Social Skills inventory (SMHSC-Del Prette). Moreover, participants will be interviewed about their history of experiences involving teasing (self-reports). We hope to find a correlation between self-concept and their history of teasing moderated by social competence, that is, girls who are more socially competent will be less influenced by others' criticism. Considering the limited number of national studies investigating possible relations between these variables, the present project has the potential to make important contributions to the research field on the development of personality and social cognition in Brazil.(AU)