Psych 101 exam 3

Easy child

Developed by Chess and Thomas (1977) - generally a child with a positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, adapts easilu to new experiences. In their studies, 40% were easy.

Social referencing

"Reading" emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situation. Helps infant to interpret ambiguous situations more accurately as when they encounter a stranger and need to know whether to fear or like person. By end of first year, Mom's facial expression (either smiling or fearful) influences whether an infant will explore an unfamiliar environment. At second year they show better social referencing, Tend to check on mom before acting.

Relationships between parenting and attachment style

- Freud: Infants become attached to person/ object that provides oral satisfaction. Feeding isn't as important though in child's attachment. - Harlow: MONKEY STUDY. Monkeys went to furry mum instead of spiky mum with milk. - Erikson (1968). Physical comfort. First year of life represents stage of trust vs. distrust. Gentleness= trust. - Bowlby (1969, 1989); attachment in first year: infants and caregivers are biologically predisposed to form attachments. Baby is biologically equipped to elicit attachment: Phase 1 (birth to 2 months) Infants instinctively orient to human figures. Strangers, siblings, and parents are equally likely to elicit: smiling, crying from infant. Phase 2 (2 to 7 months) Attachment is focused on one figure, usually mom or primary parent. Distinguishes familiar and unfamiliar people. Phase 3 (7 to 24 months) Specific attachments present. Increased locomotor skills facilitate contact with regular caregivers.

Kagan's behavioral Inhibition

- Inhibition to the familiar: Inhibited children react to many different aspects of unfamiliarity with INITIAL AVOIDANCE, DISTRESS, OR SUBDUED AFFECT. 7 to 9 months of age. Shows considerable stability from infancy to early childhood. One study: toddlers were classified into extremely inhibited, extremely unhibited, and intermediate. Follow up of children at 4-7 yrs of age. Inhibited and unhibited children stayed the same while some inhibited children did move into intermediate by age 7.

Does soothing a crying infant spoil it?

- Many years ago, behaviorist John Watsoon (1928) argued that parents spend too much time responding to the crying infant. Parents rewarding crying increases incidence. A caregiver's quick, soothing response to crying increases crying. - Mary Ainsworth (1979) and John Bowlby (1989) stressed that you can't respond too much to infant crying in the first year of life. A quick comforting response is important ingredient in the development of a strong bond with infant and caregiver. In one of Ainsworth's studies, infants whose mothers responded quickly when they cried at 3 months of age cried less later during their first year of life. - Controversial, but develop-mentalists stressed not to spoil a child during year one but can soothe infant. This creates a sense of trust and secure attachment to the caregiver.

Developmental changes in emotions in mid and late childhood

- many children show marked improvement in understanding and managing their emotions (cunningham, Kliener, and Garner, 2009). But when experiencing stressful circumstances, coping abilities are challenged. - Middle and late childhood: Improved emotional understanding. Primary school kids show increased ability to understand complex emotions such as pride of shame.

Emotional coaching vs. emotional dismissing

- meta-analysis is revealed that emotion knowledge, such as understanding emotional cues, for example, when a child feels and understands that a peer feels sad after being left out of a game, was positively related to 3-5 year olds' social competence, such as offering an emphatic response to the left out child nd negatively related to their internalizing (high leve of anxiety for example) and externalizing problems (high level of aggression), young childrens understanding of emotions are linked to prosocial behavior. - Between 2-4 years, hildren increase number of terms they use to describe emotions. Also consequences and cases of feelings. 4-5 year olds show an increased ability to reflect feelings with different people. They grow awareness that they need to manage their emotions to meet social standards. By 5 years of age, they can accurately identify emotions in complex situations.

Types of cries

First cry: babies' lungs have air, also notify about health problems. - Basic cry: rhythmic pattern consisting of a cry followed by a briefer silence, then a shorter whistle higher in pitch than the main cry, then brief rest before next cry. Hunger is one of the conditions that start this. - Anger cry: variation of basic cry which more access air is forced out of vocal folds. - Pain cry: a sudden long, initial, loud cry followed by breath holding. no preliminary moaning is present. The pain cry is stimulated by a high-intensity stimulus. Most can distinguish cries significantly anger or pain (parents) can also distinguish cries of their own baby better than other. - Reflexive smile: a smile that does NOT occur in response to external stimuli and appears during first month after birth, usually during sleep. - Social smile: occurs in response to an external stimulus, a face for ex. Happens as early as 4 to 6 weeks.

What does soothing an infant do? Why is it a good idea? When can infants decrease their own arousal?

In early infancy, babies put their thumbs to mouths to soothe. They mainly depend on caregivers to help them soothe such as a caregiver rocking an infant to sleep, singing lullabies, gently stroking infant, etc. Caregiver's actions influence the infant's neurobiological regulation of emotions. It helps infants to modulate their own emotion and reduce the level of stress hormones. Good strategy is to soothe an infant before he/she gets agitated. In the second year of life they distract themselves to reduce their arousal. They can use language to define their feelings and context that is upsetting them. "Feel bad. Dog scare"

Rothbart and Bates' classification

Mary Rothbart and John Bates (2006) has 3 broad dimensions: - Extraversion/ Surgency: positive anticipation, impulsivity activity level and sensation seeking. Kagan's unhibited children fit here. - Negative affectively: "Fear, frustration, sadness, and discomfort". Easily distressed children. Kagan's inhibited children fit here. Negative emotional reactivity/inhability fit Chess and Thomas' category for difficult child. - Effortful control (self regulaton): attentional focusing and shifting. Inhibitory control, perceptual sensitivity, low- intensity pleasure, can control arousal, strategies for soothing selves.

Emotional coaching vs. emotional dismissing (continued)

Parents play an important role in helping child to regulate emotions: emotion coaching or an emotion - dismissing approach. - Distinction between these approaches most evident in the way the parent deals with the child;'s negative emotions (anger, frustration, sadness, etc.) - Emotion coaching parents monitor childrens emotions, view their child's negative emotions as opportunities fr teaching, assist them in labeling emotions, and coach them in how to deal effectively with them. Emotion dismissing parents however their role is to teach children to deny, ignore, or change negative emotions. Emotion coaching parents interact with their children in a less rejecting manner (scaffolding and praise) and are more nurturant than emotion- dismissing parents. The children of coaches are better at soothing themselves when upset, more effective in regulating negative affect, focus their attention better and have fewer problems in behavior than emotional- dismissing parents. Emotional dismissing parents have children with poor emotional regulation. Young children will discuss feelings when securely attached to mom. Showing emotions result in better peer relationships. Negative child will result in more rejection. Cole & others (2009): 4 year olds recognized and were able to control anger better than 3 year olds.

Primary emotions and self conscious emotions

Primary emotions are emotions that present in humans and other animals. Appear in first 6 months of human infancy development. Suprise, interest, joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust. Self conscious emotions are self awareness that involves consciousness and a sense of "me". Jealousy, empathy, embarrassment, pride, shame, and guilt. Occur for the first time at some point within second half of the first year through second year. Some experts on emotion call this "other-conscious" emotions because emotional reactions of others are involved. Parents approval shows pride in toddlers for completing a task.

Difficult Child

Reacts negatively and cries frequently; engages in irregular routines, slow to accept change. (Chess & Thomas, 1977; Thomas & Chess, 1991). In their studies, 10% were difficult.

Separation protest

crying when the caregiver leaves. Separation protest tends to peak at about 15 months among U.S. infants. Studies show that protest peaked at about 13 to 15 months in 4 different cultures. Percent of infants who engaged in separation protest varied among cultures though reached a peak of protest at the same age, just before the second year of life.

Slow to warm up child

has low activity level, somewhat negative. Displays low intensity of mood. In their studies, 15% were slow to warm up. 35% didn't fit in either 3.

Functionalist view of emotions

individual's attempt to adapt to specific contexted demands. Child's emotional responses cannot be separated from situations in which they are evoked. Emotions are relational rather than strictly internal intrapsychic phenomena. Positive words most likely to comply with a parent's directions. Emotions are linked with an individual's goals in a variety of ways. Overcoming obstacles means happiness. Giving up means sadness. Unfairness in obstacles means anger. Avoidance of threat is fear, Desire to do good is guilt.

Stranger anxiety

infant shows fear and wariness of strangers. Usually emerges gradually. First appears at about 6 months of age in the form of wary reactions. By 9 months, the fear of strangers is often more continuous to escalate through first year. Not all infants show this though. Depends on the social context and the characteristics of the stranger. Shows less anxiety in familiar places. Also less when sitting in mom's lap. Child fears stranger less.

Still Face Paradigm

study by Dr. edward Tronik, Als., Adamson, Wise, & Bazelton (1978) - Mom interacts and engages with child smiling/touching. Suddenly turns away then puts straight face. Baby becomes distressed and encourages mum to be happy. again, reaches out to her.

Interaction between parents and child's emotional expression

the beginning of an emotional bond between parent and child. Not only do parents change their emotional expressions in response to the infant's emotional expressions but infants also modify their emotional expressions in response to their parents' emotional expressions.