Eva H Telzer

This study examined whether conformity to high‐ but not low‐status e‐confederates was associated with increases in identification with popular peers and subsequent increases in self‐esteem. A sample of 250 adolescents (55.1% male; M age = 12.70 years; 40.3% White, 28.2% Black, 23.4% Hispanic/Latino, and 7.7% multiracial/other) participated in a well‐established experimental chat room paradigm where they were exposed to norms communicated by high‐ and low‐status e‐confederates. Results revealed that for boys in the high‐status condition only, but not girls, the positive relation between conformity and self‐esteem was mediated by greater response alignment with popular peers. These findings bolster prior research by suggesting that conformity to popular peers may be partly motivated by drives for self‐esteem and alignment with a valued reference group.

To examine whether need for approval (NFA) and antisocial behavior (ASB) moderate the effects of socioemotional stimuli on cognitive control, 88 girls ( M age = 16.31 years; SD = 0.84; 65.9% White) completed a socioemotional Go/No‐go and questionnaires. At high approach NFA, girls responded more slowly during appetitive than control ( b = −8.80, p < .01) and aversive ( b = −5.58, p = .01) trials. At high ASB, girls responded more slowly ( b = −6.12, p = .02) and less accurately (OR = 1.11, p = .03) during appetitive than aversive trials; at low ASB, girls responded more slowly during aversive than control trials ( b = −4.42, p = .04). Thus, both context and individual differences influence adolescents' cognitive control.