This article focuses on the link between social norms and behavioral development as presented in research on norms regarding bullying and aggression. The aim is to present a conceptual framework for how classroom norms may explain children’s decisions to defend others or refrain from defending. Norms emerge from group consensus about what is appropriate in given social circumstances, and can also shape, constrain, and redirect behavior at the individual level. The study of norms has gained much attraction in peer relation research, and has turned attention to group-level processes, often defined at the classroom level, which create and sustain shared meanings that impact behavioral and social adjustment. Norm conformity, pluralistic ignorance, and power balance are presented as potential micro-level mechanisms for the link between classroom popularity (or rejection) norms and defending behavior. Directions for further research are discussed, including the need to assess and test the microfoundations directly, examine gender-specific versus common norms, focus on competing classroom norms, test developmental effects of norms, examine the impact of teachers on social norms, and pay attention to the influence of personal norms.

本文重点关注社会规范与行为发展之间的联系，正如关于欺凌和攻击的规范研究中提出的那样。目的是提出一个概念框架，说明课堂规范如何解释儿童决定保护他人或不保护他人的决定。规范产生于关于在特定社会环境中什么是合适的群体共识，并且还可以在个人层面塑造、约束和重定向行为。规范研究在同伴关系研究中获得了很大的吸引力，并将注意力转向通常在课堂层面定义的群体层面的过程，这些过程创造并维持影响行为和社会调整的共同意义。规范的一致性，多元的无知，和权力平衡被呈现为课堂受欢迎（或拒绝）规范与防御行为之间联系的潜在微观层面机制。讨论了进一步研究的方向，包括直接评估和测试微观基础的必要性，检查特定性别与共同规范的必要性，关注相互竞争的课堂规范，测试规范的发展影响，检查教师对社会规范的影响，以及关注受个人规范的影响。