Effects of Conflict in Tween Sitcoms on US Students' Moral Reasoning About Social Exclusion

Abstract

Fifth graders (N = 97) were randomly assigned to watch one of four episodes of a tween sitcom that varied in the amount of peer conflict depicted (high vs. low; two exemplars at each level). They then responded to vignettes in which a group of students from one social crowd was considering whether to let a student from a different crowd join their team for a school competition. Those in the high-conflict condition were more likely to appeal to group functioning as a reason to exclude; such appeals, in turn, predicted stronger endorsement of exclusion. Habitual exposure to tween programming was significantly associated with endorsement of exclusion for girls, but not for boys, a finding consistent with prior research on social aggression.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• peer norms
• school
• social interaction
• social aggression
• television

Acknowledgements

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by a fellowship from The Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIAS).