Dev. Lec. 6 - Emotional development + Temperament

Chapter 6 (p. 185-197), Allen, J. L. (2015)

what are the six basic emotions?

1. Happiness
2. Sadness
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Surprise
6. Disgust

7 emotions found in infancy by Izard (1977)

1. Joy
2. Anger
3. Interest
4. Disgust
5. Surprise
6. Sadness
7. fear

Ethology

approach which emphasizes the evolutionary origins of many behaviors that are important for survival

Mechanism

Causation: how does this behavior occur in an individual?

Ontogeny

Development: how does this behavior arise in an individual?

Adaptive value

Function: why is this behavior adaptive for the species?

Phylogeny

Evolution: how does this behavior arise in the species?

The 4 attachment styles (Bowlby’s theory)

1. Secure
2. (Insecure) avoidant
3. (Insecure) anxious
4. (Insecure) disorganized

Social referencing can be measured with what experiment?

The visual cliff experiment

Constructivist perspective on emotions

Constrained methods introduce conceptual information to perceiver, which prime a mode of inference or salient content

* Agreement among perceivers

Unconstrained methods do not introduce conceptual information to perceiver, leaving perceiver to construct its interpretation

* Less agreement among perceivers

Nurture + active

Emotion regulation: delay of gratification predicts… (the marshmallow test)

later success in life

Temperament definition

individual differences in reactivity and regulation in affect, activity and attention

Big 5 dimensions of personality (OCEAN)

* Openness to experience
* Conscientiousness
* Extraversion
* Agreeableness
* Neuroticism

The six clusters of temperament types

1. Unregulated
2. Regulated
3. High reactivity
4. Bold
5. Average
6. Well-adjusted

Unregulated temperament type

* High activity, Low inhibition
* Under-controlled
* Difficult to deal with at home or in classroom

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* Low on conscientiousness High on extraversion

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benefit from:

* Consistent positive interactions
* Gentle discipline

Regulated temperament type

* Low activity, anger and approach. High inhibition and attention focus
* Well behaved, Over-controlled, Reserved

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* High on conscientiousness, Low on extraversion

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benefit from: \n • Encouragement to try new things

High reactivity temperament type

* High on anger, approach, fear and shyness. Low activity, inhibition and attention focus
* Experience life intensively, Easily overwhelmed

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* High on neuroticism

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Benefit from: \n • Consistent positive interactions

Bold temperament type

* High activity and approach. Low fear and shyness
* Easily excitable, Jump into tasks with little hesitation, Confident, Natural curiosity

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* High on extraversion, High on openness to experience

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Benefit from: \n • Organized and structured activities

Average temperament type

* Average on all temperament traits
* Easygoing, But maybe also: Unmotivated/uninterested

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* Average on big 5

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* These children may fly under the radar; they may need extra attention to make sure they don’t disengage from activities

Well-adjusted temperament type

* Average on all temperament traits, But high on inhibition and attention focus
* Easygoing, get along well at school and home

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* High on conscientiousness

what % of children are born with high reactivity temperament?

20%

about one-third of high reactivity children shows signs of ___ by adolescence

social anxiety

dandelions vs. orchids

Dandelions: individuals who remain stable, under whatever circumstances

Orchids: individuals who are vulnerable under negative conditions, but can excel under positive conditions

Cool little kids (temperament-based intervention)

* Avoidance of parent-blaming
* Acknowledgement of different temperaments, emotions, etc.
* Problem behaviors are not unchangeable, not deliberate attempts to upset people, not a punishments that one deserves

The 3 Rs

Recognize, Reframe, Respond

The 2S

Scaffold, Stretch

The 2Cs

Compliance and competence

Temperament-based interventions: student program

enhance empathy skills, learn how to resolve dilemmas, resolve real dilemmas

INSIGHTS (temperament-based intervention): Gaining Compliance

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**Positive parenting** (warmth, affection, praise, attention, goal setting and monitoring)

**Parental discipline** (non-physical including time outs, loss of privileges and experiencing natural consequences)

INSIGHTS (temperament-based intervention): Fostering self-regulation / giving control

**Scaffolding**: structuring and simplifying the environment in relation to child’s temperament (e.g., removing challenges)

**Stretching**: when child succeeds, ‘stretch’ the situation gently