Notes on Emotional and Social Development in infancy and Toddlerhood | CDE 232, Study notes of Human Development

Download Notes on Emotional and Social Development in infancy and Toddlerhood | CDE 232 and more Study notes Human Development in PDF only on Docsity! Chapter 6 Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Basic emotions, such as happiness, interest, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust, are directly inferred from facial expressions. Happiness • Happiness binds parent and baby and fosters competence. • Social smile – Evoked by the stimulus of the human face – First appears between 6 and 10 weeks • Laughter first appears around 3 to 4 months in response to active stimuli. Anger and Fear • Anger is expressed during the first months when babies cry in response to unpleasant experiences. • Fear rises during the second half of the first year. • Stranger anxiety – Fear in response to unfamiliar adults. It depends on: • The infant's temperament. • Past experiences with strangers. • The situation in which baby and stranger meet. • It has survival value. • Cognitive development plays an important role in angry and fearful reactions. • Culture can modify these emotions through infant-rearing practices. Understanding and Responding to the Emotions of Others • 7 and 10 months – Perceive facial expressions and emotional tone as organized patterns – Match the voice to face of a speaking person • Social referencing – Infant relies on a trusted person's emotional reaction in an uncertain situation. – Method of learning about the environment through indirect experience Emergence of Self-Conscious Emotions • At the end of the second year • Injury to or enhancement of the sense of self – Shame, embarrassment, guilt, envy, pride • Helps children to acquire values of society Emotional Self-Regulation • Strategies used to adjust emotional states • Babies' ability to move around permits them to regulate feelings. • American culture encourages positive feelings. • Boys get more training in hiding their unhappiness. • Cultures that stress collectivism place emphasis on appropriate emotion. • Language permits toddlers to describe their emotions. TEMPERAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT • Stable individual differences in quality and intensity of emotion • New York Longitudinal Study indicates – Temperament predicts adjustment. – Parenting can modify emotional styles. Structure of Temperament • Easy child – Quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, is generally cheerful, and adapts easily to new experiences • Difficult child – Irregular in daily routines, is slow to accept new experiences, and tends to react negatively and intensely • Slow-to-warm-up child – Inactive, shows mild reactions to stimuli, is negative, and adjusts slowly to new experiences Measuring Temperament • Assessed through – Parent interviews and questionnaires – Behavior ratings by medical professionals or caregivers – Direct researcher observation • Physiological measures supplement these techniques. Stability of Temperament • Temperamental stability from one age period to the next is generally low to moderate. – Wept – Withdrew – Lost weight – Had difficulty sleeping Quality of Caregiving • Secure infants’ mothers respond promptly to infants, are positive, and handle babies tenderly. • Insecure infants’ mothers dislike contact, handle them awkwardly, and are insensitive. • Avoidant infants receive caregiving that is overstimulating and intrusive. • Child abuse and neglect are associated with all three forms of insecure attachment. Infant Characteristics • Infant characteristics affect how easily relationship is established. • Infant temperament in attachment has been intensely debated. Family Circumstances • Families may experience major life changes. – Quality of attachment changes. • Family transitions affect parent-child interaction. • Parents’ experiences affect bonds established with their babies. • Mothers who – Objectively discuss their childhood tend to have securely attached infants. – Dismiss the importance of early relationships or describe them angrily usually have insecurely attached babies. Multiple Attachments • Bowlby believed that infants direct their attachment to a single figure. • Typically declines over the second year Fathers • Fathers' caregiving predicts secure attachment. • Fathers spend more time in play. • Involved fathers – Are less gender stereotyped – Have sympathetic, friendly personalities – Regard parenthood as an enriching experience • Warm marital relationship supports both parents' involvement with baby. Siblings • 80 percent of American children grow up with at least one sibling. • Sibling conflict increases when one member is emotionally intense. • Special time to devote to the older child supports sibling harmony. • Secure infant-mother attachment toward both children is related to positive sibling interaction. • Maternal coldness is associated with sibling friction. Attachment and Later Development • Attachment to the mother in infancy is related to cognitive and social development in early childhood. • Continuity may determine whether insecurity is linked to later problems. SELF-DEVELOPMENT • Emergence of the I-self and Me-self – I-self • Sense of self as subject or agent – Me-self • Toddlers construct another aspect of self. • Reflective observer who treats the self as an object of knowledge • Self-awareness leads to empathy. Categorizing the Self • Self-awareness permits comparison to others. • By 18 to 30 months, children categorize themselves and others by – Age – Sex – Physical characteristics – Goodness and badness Emergence of Self-Control • Self-control – Capacity to resist impulse first appears as compliance: Voluntary obedience – Appears around 18 months and improves steadily – Positive caregiving and reasonable expectations foster compliance. – Toddlers' control over actions is dependent upon parental guidance.