Lifespan D. Chapter 4

Early Head Start

A federal program that provides counseling and other services to low-income parents and children under age 3.

autonomy

Erikson's second psychosocial task, when toddlers confront the challenge of understanding that they are separate individuals

self-conscious emotions

Feelings of pride, shame, or guilt, which first emerge around age 2 and show the capacity to reflect on the self.

social referencing

a baby's practice of checking back and monitoring a caregiver's expressions for cues as to how to behave in potentially dangers exploration situations; linked to the onset of crawling and clear-cut attachment

day-care center

a day-care arrangement in which a large number of children are cared for at a licensed facility by paid providers.

family day care

a day-care arrangement in which a neighbor or relative cares for a small number of children in her home for a fee.

insecure attachment

a deviation from the normally joyful response to being reunited with the primary caregiver in the Strange Situation, signaling a problem in the caregiver-child relationship.

Head Start

a federal program offering high-quality day care at a center and other services to help preschoolers aged 3 to 5 from low-income families prepare for school.

temperament

a person's characteristic, inborn style of dealing with the world

Strange Situation

a procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth to measure variations in attachment security at age 1, involving a series of planned separations and reunions with a primary caregiver

stranger anxiety

a signal of the onset of clear-cut attachment at about 7 months of age, when a baby becomes wary of unfamiliar people and refuses to be held by anyone other than a primary caregiver

working model

according to Bowlby's theory, the mental representation of a caregiver that allows children beyond age 3 to be physically apart from primary caregiver and predicts their behavior in relationships

low income

according to child advocates, the real minimum income it takes for a family to decently make ends meet in the United States; defined as twice the poverty line.

proximity-seeking behavior

acting to maintain physical contact or to be close to an attachment figure

goodness of fit

an ideal parenting strategy that involves arranging children's environments to suit their temperaments, minimizing their vulnerabilities and accentuating their strengths.

power assertion

an ineffective socialization strategy that involves yelling, screaming, or hitting out in frustration at a child

avoidant attachment

an insecure attachment style characterized by a child's indifference to the primary caregiver in the Strange Situation

anxious-ambivalent attachment

an insecure attachment style characterized by a child's intense distress at separation and by anger and great difficulty being soothed when reunited with primary caregiver in the Strange Situation.

disorganized attachment

an insecure attachment style characterized by responses such as freezing or fear when a child is reunited with the primary caregiver in the Strange Situation.

preschool

teaching-oriented childcare setting, serving children aged 3 to 5

primary attachment figure

the closest person in a child's or adult's life

clear-cut attachment

the critical period for human attachment, lasting from roughly 7 months of age through toddlerhood, characterized by separation anxiety, the need to have a caregiver physically close, and stranger anxiety.

preattachment phase

the first phase of John Bowlby's developmental attachment sequence, during the first three months of life, when infants show no visible signs of attachment

social smile

the first real smile, occurring at about 2 months of age

secure attachment

the ideal attachment response, when a 1-year-old child responds with joy at being reunited with the primary caregiver in the Strange Situation

toddlerhood

the important transitional stage after babyhood, from roughly 1 year to 2 1/2 years of age; defined by an intense attachment to caregivers and by an urgent need to become independent

separation anxiety

the main signal of clear-cut attachment at about 7 months of age, when a baby gets visibly upset by a primary caregiver's departure

attachment

the powerful bond of love between a caregiver and a child (or between any two individuals)

socialization

the process by which children are taught to obey the norms of society and to behave in socially appropriate ways

synchrony

the reciprocal aspect of the attachment relationship, with a caregiver and infant responding emotionally to each other in a sensitive, exquisitely attuned way.

attachment in the making

the second phase of John Bowlby's developmental attachment sequence, lasting from about 4 to 7 months of age, when infants show a slight preference for their primary caregiver