Peer-group conformity motivation peaks mid-childhood and has developmental limits

Evidence

The age at which young children identify themselves with their peer group and conform willingly or unwillingly follows an inverted-U curve (Costanzo & Shaw, 1966; Gavin & Furman, 1989). One motivation is to maintain positive peer relations and social evaluation. Older children know that moral reasons against exclusion and bullying are preferable to social convention and conformity (Killen, Lee- Kim, McGlothlin, & Stangor, 2002), so the former might successfully be used to counter norms of prejudice. However, conformity to another’s attitude also occurs among younger children, possibly with a different motivation (Aboud, 1981). Because of developmental constraints on the ability to take more than one perspective, young children are often not aware that an alternative is possible or better. They may also not see the difference between a rule that derives from social convention as opposed to moral considerations. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 2020

Categorization

• QUESTION: What exactly drives the inverted-U: is it cognitive perspective-taking capacity or social-evaluation awareness peaking then leveling?
• XREF: connects to: Social media intensifies but did not invent adolescent craving for peer recognition. — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1439; Adolescents lack defenses against social pressure before identity forms — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1445