Chapter 7 - Social and Emotional Development in Infants and Toddlers

relationship between olfaction and attachment in terms of punishment and affection

less punishment and more affection for familiar smells

four types of attachment relationships

1) Secure 2) Avoidant 3) Resistant 4) Disorganized 2,3 and 4 are all called insecure attachments

3 elements of emotion

1) subjective feeling 2) physiological change 3) overt behaviour

difficult temperament

10% of babies withdraw from new experiences follow irregular routines

Resistant attachment

10-15% of babies baby is upset when parent leaves and remains upset and angry upon return; difficult to console

peer interactions

12 months - non social play - playing alone or watching others play 12+ months - parallel play - playing alone but near others and maintaining an interest in what others are doing 15-18 months - simple social play - interact socially during play activities 24 months - co-operative play - play organized around theme and involves children taking on roles

slow-to-warm-up temperament

15% of babies like difficult babies, but do not response intensely inactive

Avoidant attachment

20% of babies baby not upset when parent leaves and upon return, might ignore or turn away

easy temperament

40% of babies happy; adjust well to new situations follow routines

Disorganized attachment

5-10% of babies confused when mother leaves, not sure what is happening when she returns

Secure attachment

60-65% of babies baby may or may not cry when parent leaves, but upon return baby wants to be with her

Universal emotions

They are experienced worldwide, across cultures 1) happiness 2) anger 3) surprise 4) fear 5) disgust 6) sadness

regulating emotions

at 4-6 months infants start to use strategies to regulate their emotions they look away or move closer to a parent when confused or frightened as they age, they reassure themselves that there is nothing to be afraid of emotional regulation cannot be separated from the activation of emotion centres in the brain it is mediated by areas of the prefrontal cortex in the frontal lobe children who internalize emotions are more sensitive to anxiety than those who externalize emotion (acting out) infants have a basis for emotional regulation in their neural and physiological systems but the interactions with the environment also play a role

recognizing the emotions of other's

at 6-7 months they can distinguish facial expressions associated with different emotions - do not necessarily know the emotions being shown

self-concept

attitudes, behaviours and values that a person believes makes him or her a unique individual at 18-24 months, self awareness emerges and they recognize themselves in photos and use pronouns like I or me once they have self-awareness, they work to develop a self-concept

types of parent's based on their attachment to their own parents

autonomous adults: talk about childhood experiences objectively, whether good or bad - objective about their positive or negative childhood experiences dismissive adults: talk about their childhood experiences generally; idealize their parents; present an ideal of what parent they would like to have had preoccupied adults: talk about their childhood experiences with a lot of emotion; express anger/confusion regarding the relationship they had with their parents

contributions to temperament

both heredity and environment play a role sometimes a baby's temperament determines the experience parents provide

happiness

by 2 months, babies develop social smiles by 4 months, they smile and laugh

negative emotions

by 4-6 months, they show distinct displays of anger by 6 months - stranger wariness

privation

condition in which the basic necessities and comforts of life are not provided

reactive attachment disorder

disturbances in emotional functioning and a pattern of inappropriate interpersonal behaviours resulting from disrupted early attachments go from secure to insecure attachment style

complex emotions

e.g. pride, guilt, embarrassment have an evaluative component not expressed in the same way across cultures usually hard to describe show at 18-24 months depends on a child's understanding of the self (15-18 months)

3 dimensions of temperament

emotionality - strength of the emotional response to the situation; ease with which response is triggered; ease of return to non-emotional state activity - tempo/vigour of movement sociability - preference to be with other people

attachment

enduring social and emotional relationships at 6-7 months infants have identified their primary attachment figure purpose of attachment is to develop an internal working model

relationships with others

evolution favours behaviours that elicit caregiving caregivers and infants synchronize behaviours

basic emotions

facial expressions do not mean the infants are experiencing the emotion, but the behavioural component of the emotion subjective feelings cannot be measured but physiological responses can e.g. can measure heart rate and sweat to determine if a baby is scared or excited by the middle of the first year, facial expressions are reliable indicators of an infant's emotional state

temperament

infants consistent mood and style of behaviour; not what they do but how they do it i.e. happy or grumpy baby types: 1) easy 2) difficult 3) slow-to-warm-up babies

primary attachment figure

infants stable emotional base usually the mother

factors determining quality of attachment

interaction between parents/babies - should be predictable, responsive and sensitive influence of parent's own attachment to their parents

social referencing

looking at a trusted caregiver for clues on how to react to a situation rely on parents for how to interpret objects and events in the world related to emotional regulation

temperament and other aspects of development

relationship between temperament and behavioural problems temperament influences child's behaviour toward other people influence of the temperament depends on the environment in which children develop

secure vs. insecure attachment

secure has higher quality friendships and fewer conflicts less likely to have behavioural problems interacts more skillfully with peers and have more close friends better understanding of emotions and their regulation

internal working model

set of expectations about parents' availability and responsibility generally and in times of stress father/infant time is for playing

stranger wariness

signs of fear in an infant in response to an unfamiliar adult factors include if the environment is familiar and the behaviour of the stranger

social smiles

smiling in response to seeing another human face includes cooing