Chapter 6 - Social and Personality Development in Infancy

attachment theory

the view that the ability and need to form an attachment relationship early in life are genetic characteristics of all human beings

attachment

the emotional tie to a parent experienced by an infant, from which the child derives security

synchrony

a mutual, interlocking pattern of attachment behaviours shared by a parent and child

stranger anxiety

expressions of discomfort, such as clinging to mother, iin the presence of strangers

separation anxiety

expressions of discomfort, such as crying, when separated from an attachment figure

social referencing

infants' use of others' emotional expressions as guides to their own emotions and actions

secure attachment

a pattern of attachment in which an infant readily separates from the parent, seeks proximity when stressed, and uses the parent as a safe base for exploration

avoidant attachment

a pattern of attachment in which an infant avoids contact with the parent and shows no preference for the parent over other people

ambivalent attachment

a pattern of attachment in which the infant shows little exploratory behaviour, is greatly upset when separated from the parent, and is not reassured by the parent's return or efforts to comfort him

disorganized/disoriented attachment

a pattern of attachment in which an infant seems confused or apprehensive and shows contradictory behaviour, such as moving toward the parent while looking away from him or her

contingent responsiveness

being sensitive to the child's verbal and nonverbal cues and responding appropriately

personality

a pattern of responding to people and objects in the environment

temperament

inborn predispositions, such as activity level, that form the foundation of personality

niche-picking

the process of selecting experiences on the basis of temperament

goodness of fit

the degree to which an infant's temperament is adaptable to his environment, and vice versa

subjective self

an infant's awareness that s/he is a separate person who endures through time and space and can act on the environment

objective (categorical) self

the toddler's understanding that s/he is defined by various categories, such as gender, or qualities, such as shyness

joint attention

when two people are focusing their attention on an object and each is aware that the other is attending to the same object

enriched daycare

daycare that provides structured programming to build skills, such as literacy, numeracy, social, art, and physical skills