User:Jesse.harris2/sandbox

Social contact can refer to:

In the sociological hierarchy leading up to social relations, an incidental social interaction between individuals
In social networks, a node (representing an individual or organization) to which another node is socially connected

Benefits

Education

Social contact within peer groups of students has shown to improve scholastic knowledge and create excitement over various taught subjects.Within The Impact of Social Interaction on Student Learning, it is stated that "Students learn more when they are able to talk to one another and be actively involved. In short, social contact is vital to the learning process." (pp. 376). After exposing students to collaborative social contact, studies showed that "In analyzing 180 the response to what students learned about literacy, the four most often given responses were: they learned that (a) reading can be fun (25%), (b) reading strategies help get students to actually read (22%), (c) reading strategies help students learn a lot of material (15%), and (d) other student interactions of a text can help all students better understand the text (10%)." (pp.383)

Brain Function

Social contact is also proven to improve the function of one's brain. Studies at the University of Michigan show "that engaging in brief (10 minutes) conversations in which participants were simply instructed to get to know another person resulted in a boost to their subsequent performance on an array of common cognitive tasks." Psychologist Oscar Ybarra (leader of these studies) goes on to state that "these findings highlight the connection between social intelligence and general intelligence. This fits within evolutionary perspectives that examine social pressures on the emergence of intelligence, and research showing a neural overlap between social-cognitive and executive brain functions."

Lack of social contact

Lack of Social Contact can have dramatic physiological effects. Such effects could be abnormal levels of stress hormones. Loneliness can attribute to early death risk as well. How can one experience loneliness? It all starts out with an awareness of a lack of relationships with others. Loneliness is more passive than an active state; meaning we just let it happen and we do nothing to change it.

Causes of lack of social contact

Fear of being judged, made fun of by other peers (this is why these kind of people choose not to partake in new challenges, tasks)
Social interaction is not appealing in any form; this can lead to severe depression due to isolation preferences
A family member or spouse passes away
Bullied by other peers at school

Most people conform to a group of individuals in times of despair or other tough circumstances (They feel more comfortable when they are around others who support them and share similar interests/ideas)

Lack of social contact in school settings

Students are more likely to drop out; can cause delinquent and/or antisocial behaviors. One may start to use drugs or commit crimes such as theft and assault These kinds of students may have negative relations with peers in classrooms and teachers as well (Psychiatrists may diagnose these kinds of students with oppositional disorder if one keeps portraying antisocial behavioral trends) What causes these students to become antisocial? One big factor is within the home environment and the family. Violence inside the home, drug or alcohol abuse, parental divorce, can all be factors in influencing antisocial behaviors. Without proper supervision and caretaking, one may pick up aggressive behaviors Some students are rejected by their peers: One is rejected because they can't keep up in a conversation, whether it be due to speech impairment, memory loss, or other physical and/or mental disabilities (autism, bipolar disorder). They may also have trouble focusing while engaged in a conversation (ADHD, ADD) Popular students may tease students who are socially distant from everyone else to gain more fame from their own peers. Teachers are being persisted to intervene when they start to see cycling antisocial behaviors (Counseling and school psychologists can talk to the student and find out what's going on in their life)

Being rejected by other students and family

The individual feels they aren't getting enough attention or acceptance from others and may start vandalizing property or use drugs to get notice from others. *EXTREME LENGTHS* How to prevent social isolation in schools? Teach students good communication skills, get one involved with group work and interaction at a young age, praise the individual for learning a new social skill. One may also get self help books to better combat anxiety around others and improve one`s social contact.

Signs of lack of social contact

Covert - lying, noncompliant, deviant against authority
Overt - verbal or physical abuse against someone else
Low self-esteem - disapproval from someone they like/care about -incompetent in an area of expertise one cares/enjoys -they may take comments that aren`t critical very, very critically These comments may influence one that they aren`t good enough in a particular skill and will give up, worry that they are a failure, and avoid others and become shy towards others
Fear of failure - don`t want to try new things

Technological advancements and social media

Sociologists believe that new technological advancements is also a key element to the lack of social contact across America. Sherry Turkle, clinical psychologist, author of “Alone Together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other”, explains how we are all getting used to being alone together through instant messaging and photo sharing. A lot of americans prefer digital communication over face to face interaction. When people are faced with an awkward situation, they tend to distract themselves with their phones and other devices to “get away” from the problem When people look at others` profiles on facebook or twitter, they often compare how one`s profile seems from their own. Social media gives the illusion that because someone shares funny stories and posts awesome photos, that they are living the life, and gives the impression that their life is far off better than yours, leaving yourself feeling incompetent and maybe worthless. Social networks also reduces the impact of intimacy among family, significant others, and other peers. Individuals who text at the dinner table with the family is an example of social isolation. Many prefer to interact with others virtually than physically, given the fact that there`s a far less chance of something becoming awkward. Social media isn`t helping others on how to efficiently engage in strong conversations, especially during meetings, conferences, and presentations to a group of people.

Use with animals

Smart Dog

Social contact does not only pertain to human interactions. Social contact is utilized within the taming and training of various animal types.

Dogs

Eric Letendre, within his youtube video Dog training-Social Contact states that "Dogs use social contact to see how far they can get away with things by barking at you, clawing at you, by not letting you touch their paws or look at their teeth." Within his book The Amazing dog training man, he explains explicitly that "Social contact is important in establishing yourself as the "alpha" in your dog's eyes."

Improvement

Body language can show the emotional state of an individual and one`s attitude towards others. Avoiding eye contact or talking softly are examples of lack of social skills. Practicing smiling, keeping eye contact, pay attention to one`s reactions, and being empathetic in situations are great paths towards improvement.

Assertive Communication - sharing what one thinks without being selfish or rude. This type of communication will improve how one will be able to relate with another person.

Avoid individuals who give you a hard time. When placed in a situation where one is engaged in a conversation with someone they don`t like, practicing good social skills can enable one to politely end a conversation without seeming rude People with good social skills also have more opportunities in job advancements. Making yourself more appealing to others by going to a dinner or party you`re invited to can also boost self confidence.