6.2 - Social Orientation/Understanding and Attachment

social referencing

“reading” emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situation

strange situation

an observational measure of infant attachment that takes about 20 minutes in which the infant experiences a series of introductions, separations, and reunions with the caregiver and an adult stranger in prescribed order

securely attached baby

explores using caregiver as secure base; may become distressed during separation; seeks contact and is comforted at reunion

insecure avoidant babies

shows relatively little proximity seeking; avoids/ignores caregiver at reunion

insecure resistant babies

often highly distressed by separation; seeks contact but also resists comfort at reunion

insecure disorganized babies

shows inconsistent, confused, or disoriented behavior; no clear, organized strategy for responding to the caregiver

developmental cascade model

involves connections across domains over time that influence developmental pathways and outcomes

reflexive smile

not triggered by external stimulation; common in first month, usually during sleep

social smile

occurs in response to other people; appears as early as 2 months