EFFECTS OF CONFLICT IN TWEEN SITCOMS ON US STUDENTS' MORAL REASONING ABOUT SOCIAL EXCLUSION

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.